Why reading the print news on TikTok is a thing

An increasing number of TikTok stars have earned their viral wings reading the news — straight from the newspaper — directly into the ears of Gen Z.

One of them is The Print Princess, Kelsey Russell, a Brooklyn-based influencer who gained attention by reading articles from The New York Times aloud on TikTok, mixing in commentary and personal flair.

At the 2025 Niche Media Conference, Russell explained to an audience of mostly print magazine publishers how to break into the emerging generational space.

And it makes sense: 40% of Gen Z already get most of their news from TikTok or X. After all, TV and radio personalities have long reported news that originally came from print media.

But there is more happening here than a shift in format.

Deeper trends — including psychological needs — are fueling a surprising return to print on TikTok.

Gen Z’s well-known anxiety is based on modern realities, she said. When almost all information is available — as well as atomized — it’s hard to create a meaningful narrative, not just about what is real, but also how it fits into an understandable story. In a world that seems to perpetually totter on the brink of financial, environmental, military, and political chaos, the need for cohesive stories is profound.

“News fatigue is real, but interest in the news remains strong,” she said.

The challenge? Young audiences — raised on short, entertaining video clips — have a lower tolerance for dry information and a higher expectation for entertaining delivery.

They are also, Russell said, functionally media illiterate but still deeply curious.

As an example, she shared how award-winning sports and environmental reporter Olivia Hicks often gets questions like:

“So, you write for the sports team, right? And they pay you?”

By reading the news in a colorful, personality-driven way, Russell fills a gap — and discovered, along the way, a deep love for print itself.

“What I’ve found when I read print is that it allows me to slow down,” she said.

So how can niche publishers reach Gen Z on TikTok?

One way, suggested by other speakers at the conference, is to cultivate editorial staff as mini-creators.

Examples like Max Foster (@maxfostercnn), Dave Jorgenson (@washingtonpost), and Victoria Derbyshire (@vicderbyshire) show how major brands are tapping existing talent to build authentic TikTok voices. Some bring comic twists or commentary-style angles, but all deliver the kind of personality-driven voice younger audiences crave.

However, Russell recommended reaching out to influencers to get them involved.  Too many media are afraid to partner with existing influencers, who may in fact be fascinated to learn and report what news media actually do, she said.

“Everything starts with a story,” she said. “Every good story starts with a question. One question might be, why does my local news always have ads about mattresses? What is going on? The younger generation doesn’t know how media is made.”

Influencers may be lured by the chance to show “behind-the-scenes” footage.

In one popular video, she took viewers inside the last remaining printing press in Brooklyn to see exactly — in video — how they made a newspaper. She showed them the piping and the faucet “where the ink comes out.”

Don’t be intimidated by the idea that big influencers want big pay-to-play money, she said. That isn’t always the case, and for some, it’s more about finding a good story.

“Think about what story you want to talk about at your company,” she said. “Then find the influencers in those spaces, and say, ‘Come by our office.

“‘We want to talk.’”