The media landscape is undergoing a seismic shift. Influencers aren’t just trendsetters anymore; they’re newsmakers who are reshaping how we consume and interpret information. With nearly 40% of young adults turning to influencers to make sense of current events, the lines between journalism, commentary, and influencer are blurring. How news is consumed and how stories are told represents a fundamental shift that is challenging the philanthropic community to confront a critical question: How can we ensure a future with truth-telling and a shared understanding of the world? Our 2025 Media Impact Forum addressed these dynamics and the implications of how audiences consume content on journalism, truth, and democracy. During our daylong showcase, we showcased the research, storytellers and projects that are redefining the way audiences engage with news and media.
Below, you’ll find recordings of each session in chronological order so that you can watch any portion of the day.
Bridging Impact: Nonprofits, Creators, and the Future of Digital Engagement
Ashwath Narayanan, CEO of Social Currant, examines how nonprofits can harness the power of creator partnerships to reach and engage diverse audiences. This session spotlights actionable strategies and insights into navigating the rapidly evolving social media landscape, highlighting a nonprofit’s success story that demonstrates the transformative potential of these collaborations.
- Ashwath Narayanan, CEO, Social Currant
Access Ashwath’s slides from his presentation here.
Brain Burst: Engaging Nano and Micro-Influencers
“Newsfluencers” are more than just social media media magnets. They are micro-media outlets with deep domain expertise who create opinion-setting content for highly engaged local audiences. Justin Arenstein, co-CEO of ICFJ+ (International Center for Journalists), explains how to use narrative mapping and social listening to find the right allies for building mutually beneficial partnerships.
- Justin Arenstein, Co-Founder & CEO, Code for Africa; co-CEO, ICFJ+ (International Center for Journalists)
The Power of Narrative: Understanding the Playbook Shaping Public Opinion
Rita Parhad and Sydney Apple from Protagonist, which specializes in narrative strategy, present an overview of highly compelling research conducted in partnership with the Lumina Foundation about how partisan media shapes our public discourse. With a particular focus on the influential right-wing media ecosystem, Rita and Sydney show how certain tactics are advancing a core set of strategic narratives that are shaping how Americans view themselves and their place in the world. This session also includes an update on Protagonist’s most recent research: an examination of left-wing media outlets and their own efforts to shape the public conversation. Rita and Sydney laid the foundation for understanding how these dynamics shape issues such as academic freedom, immigrant rights, climate action, racial & gender equity, and economic justice.
- Rita Parhad, President, Protagonist
- Sydney Apple, Director of Foundation and Nonprofit Work, Protagonist
Science Meets Storytelling
These are challenging times for science, as misinformation rises and resources disappear. Amid this, many Americans are tuning out, overwhelmed by heavy headlines. Yet, science literacy is more vital than ever. Flora Lichtman, the new host of Science Friday, is redefining how science connects with the public. By transforming viral pop culture moments into teachable opportunities, she weaves science into everyday narratives. Drawing from her experience as host of Gimlet’s Every Little Thing podcast, Flora uses curiosity and storytelling to engage audiences and build trust. Flora shares how Science Friday is inspiring new audiences with playful, relevant content, offering a blueprint for making science—and truth—accessible and engaging in today’s fragmented media landscape.
- Flora Lichtman, Host, Science Friday
Putting Research into Action: Culture-First Approach to Climate Narratives
This session explores how Harmony Labs and Earth Alliance collaborated to identify and engage audiences missing from the climate conversation, blending together in one pilot project groundbreaking behavioral media research with influencer partnerships and media testing and iteration. Harmony Labs Executive Director Brian Waniewski shares key research findings and showcase how these findings informed an influencer media strategy to connect with untapped audiences, offering climate communicators new pathways for engaging diverse communities.
- Brian Waniewski, Executive Director, Harmony Labs
Access Brian’s slides from his presentation here.
Brain Burst: Beyond the Mainstream with Hyper-Local Radio
Hyper-local radio outlets play a crucial role in fostering trust, amplifying diverse voices, and addressing the unique needs of their communities. G-Town Radio, a community station based in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, exemplifies this mission by broadcasting local content, community news and a diverse spectrum of music that mainstream media often overlooks. G-Town Radio highlights the essential role hyper-local media plays in strengthening democracy and supporting vibrant, informed communities.
- Tom Casetta, Station Manager, G-Town Radio/WGGT-LP 92.9fm
Strengthening Connections: Using the Civic Information Index to Bridge Information Gaps
How can media outlets better connect with their communities and audiences? In this session, Jesse Hardman of Listening Post Collective and Maritza Félix of Conecta Arizona explores how the Civic Information Index—developed through a collaboration between the Listening Post Collective at Internews, the Information Futures Lab at Brown University, and an expert advisory group—maps drivers of engaged, informed, and equitable communities. By identifying gaps in civic information, the Index helped Conecta Arizona focus on under-addressed topics, fostering more meaningful and relevant connections with their community. With data on volunteerism, housing insecurity, medical debt, and local news presence, the Index offers media organizations a powerful tool to understand community strengths and challenges. This session showcases how the Index framework, methodology, and findings can guide journalism stakeholders in building deeper, data-driven relationships with their audiences and addressing critical community needs.
- Jesse Hardman, Founder and Senior Program Advisor, Listening Post Collective
- Maritza Félix, Founder and Director, Conecta Arizona
Musical Performance by Dillon Scott
Violist Dillon Scott, the Mark E. Rubenstein Fellow at the Curtis Institute of Music, performs and talks with WRTI’s Bill Johnson.
Public Media’s Evolution in the Digital Age
How do we envision and build the next phase of public media and public interest technologies, ensuring that they are vital resources in evolving media ecosystems?
Building on the day’s discussions around disinformation, creator partnerships, hyper-local impact, and bridging information gaps, this forward-looking conversation features Ivan Sigal, the interim executive director of Free our Feeds and Ryan Merkley, COO of NPR. Moderated by Bill Johnson of WRTI, the conversation tackles the challenge of how public media, often operating with established “old-school” approaches, can strategically leverage emerging technologies and develop entirely new concepts to not only reach audiences that may not currently be engaged, but also to foster environments where the public actively participates in and critically engages with crucial information.
- Bill Johnson, General Manager, WRTI (moderator)
- Ryan Merkley, COO, NPR
- Ivan Sigal, Interim Executive Director, Free our Feeds