Description of the video:
VIDEO DESCRIPTION
[Video opens with a reporter reporting from a TV studio in front of a screen that says USA Track and Field.]
ARI: Reporting in studio, Ari Betterly, 21 Alive News.
[View switches to Ari working on a computer in the newsroom]
[Voiceover] I think you have to love what you do in order to pursue this career.
[Camera focuses on a close-up of Ari typing on a keyboard, then shows Ari speaking directly to the camera in the newsroom]
ARI: This industry isn't for the weak-hearted. You have to be passionate. You have to love what you do.
[The video cuts back to Ari working on her computer, then a close-up of a spreadsheet on her screen]
And so, I'm so thankful I have that feeling inside, because, when you know, the paychecks are a little smaller when you start off in the industry, you have to cut out some other things in your life. You have to really manage your time, because you are working a lot of long hours.
[Video cuts back to Ari speaking directly to the camera again, gesturing with her hands as she talks]
Maybe it's not for the compensation you're hoping for, but you know, okay, this is just I'm planting the seed, and it's going to grow to be something someday.
[Video cuts to an indoor basketball game and the sounds of shoes squeaking and people cheering. Then Ari is at the sports news desk, with an image of a large basketball behind her.]
ARI: And another big SAC battle tonight, the Bishop Dwenger Saints hosting Southside, as the Archers look to add another win to their 15-1 record this season for the boys.
[Video of fans in the bleachers and Ari holding a video camera and filming the game]
[Voiceover] It's just such a meaningful experience, to not only pursue your career, but also get to be a part of the community, and I feel so connected being a local person who grew up in Huntington, Indiana.
[On screen, you see Ari reporting live from a game]
[Various scenes of billboards, buildings, and a news van that says “Fort Wayne’s Live” on the side]
[Voiceover] It almost seemed perfect. I received a job from Fort Wayne, where I grew up, where I watched the news growing up.
[Video returns to Ari speaking directly to the camera and gesturing with her hands]
So, it was a full circle moment for me to earn my first position in the industry by accepting this one. So, once I received my job here in Fort Wayne, I realized, wow, this is really where I'm meant to be.
[Video cuts to Ari working on her computer again in the newsroom, while a basketball game plays on a screen]
[Video returns to Ari standing on the sidelines of the basketball game, filming the game with a video camera]
[Voiceover] And since I've come back, I've realized how meaningful it is to be a part of your community and grow with it.
[Video is a short clip from a local news report with Ari as the news anchor]
ARI: Celebrating a loved one's birthday in a unique way.
[Ari looking at videos on her phone, then footage of a basketball game, then holding the video camera on the sideline]
I think in this new generation, the art of journalism can never necessarily die. I believe that creating a package and doing all the things yourself, whether I'm doing the MMJ side of the job where I'm writing, reporting, producing, editing, and creating a package for the news, or creating highlights and interacting with the community, and figuring out who all these athletes are and the scores.
[Video continues switching between Ari working on her computer to a different angle of her filming in front of the bleachers. Voiceover continues.]
[Video cuts back to Ari talking directly to the camera and gesturing while she talks]
I don't think that will ever go away because that is pure joy, having that connection with an audience.
[Music plays while several smartphone videos of Ari in different locations play on the screen.]
[Video returns to interview with Ari talking directly to the camera.]
I try to be pretty interactive on all my social platforms.
[Voiceover] ARI: I know, okay, these are the ways that I can still connect with maybe a younger audience, because if they don't watch the news, they might not see, per se, a package or our highlights or our show.
[Video switches back and forth between Ari working on her computer and other smartphone videos of Ari reporting live from a soccer game and in front of an indoor swimming pool]
So, for me, I like to post on YouTube frequently. I like to post some reels on my Instagram that I have for my professional side of things. Being personable and having a brand where people feel like they can connect to you on the side of, you know, when you post your stories, or you post your podcast with what you're doing in your career field, as well as interacting with your followers and showing that you have a life, you have a voice outside of maybe just the day-to-day. I think that's what people really want, authenticity. And so I try to bring that no matter where I am.
[Video cuts back momentarily to Ari talking directly to the camera, and then additional reels and YouTube videos of Ari smiling a lot and interviewing athletes]
If I'm out in public, I just try to be myself and, you know, get to know people around me, as well as on social media, I'm very authentic to myself. I try to hold myself to who I am, whether it's on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, all the things. I know I have to keep up on it, but at the same time, I enjoy it. And so, yeah, definitely just going to keep doing that over the years, and hopefully grow even more in that aspect.
[Video cuts to a local newscast with two news anchors behind a desk]
AMIR: Ari Betterly is here to explain.
[Video clip of Ari doing the sports news piece on the news with a 21 Alive logo and an Indiana University logo behind her]
ARI: Linda and Amir, let's talk about cheering on the team as the cheerleaders, the IU squad, has dozens strong, including a few from 21 Country.
[Video shows Ari reporting live at a basketball game]
[Voiceover] ARI: If you really want to do this, if this is what your heart is set to do, I think you give it your all. You don't hold back. You do have to be ready for those things. And so, I'm very blessed that I was prepared very well.
[Various clips of Ari wearing several different professional outfits while posing and smiling for social media]
For me, I think just continuing to push digitally and continuing to share my content on different platforms, whether it is Instagram, TikTok, social media, and trying to just grow that brand, personally, as well as with my career. I think that won't go away.
[Music plays, and Ari types at her computer in the newsroom]
[Fade to black]
[END OF TRANSCRIPT]
It’s now a given that Americans receive most of their information about current events, sports, entertainment, and what their friends and family are up to from social media platforms. TikTok, YouTube, X, Facebook, and Instagram have been integrated into daily life.
One of the great opportunities of the platformization of information is that anyone can participate, leveling the playing field for communication. At the same time, platforms can be rife with polarizing, emotionally-charged, misleading or outright incorrect material that doesn’t exactly lead to a better-informed or more civil community.
Enter the news influencer: a new type of journalist who brings journalistic professionalism to the platform arena. This journalist blends traditions of news, including a devotion to speed, accuracy, and fairness, with the logics of the platform, which emphasize connectivity, interaction, and aesthetics.
Sometimes, news influencers build their careers solely on the platforms. In other cases, journalists are encouraged by their legacy newsroom employers to build an online following to increase the visibility and reach of their work.
Ari Betterly is a weekend sports anchor and reporter at 21Alive in Fort Wayne. As a multimedia journalist, she does it all: filming, reporting, editing, and producing. Most of her coverage focuses on high school football and basketball, bread and butter work for a local news station.
But Betterly’s work doesn’t stop with production for the airways. She also maintains active TikTok, X, Instagram, and YouTube accounts that feature not only her sports reporting, but personal updates and even the occasional outtake.
“I try to be pretty interactive on all my social platforms. I know, ok, these are the ways I can connect with a younger audience, because if they don’t watch the news, they might not see a package or our highlights or our show, so I like to post on YouTube frequently. I like to post some reels on my Instagram,” Betterly said. “Interacting with your followers and showing you have a life, you have a voice outside maybe just the day to day, I think that’s what people really want – authenticity. I try to bring that no matter where I am.”
Budding news influencers like Betterly are becoming more and more prominent. A Pew Research study showed that 21 percent of adults, and 37 percent of adults under 30, regularly get news from news influencers. The personal nature of presentation is a key aspect of their popularity.
The jury is still out when it comes to how much Americans actually trust the information they receive from news influencers, many of whom are independent, not also employed by a legacy news organization like Betterly.
A study of news influencers in 24 countries found that they present a blend of commentary, news, explanation, and specialist information. The largest reach of news influencers appears in developing nations, while the U.S. ranks in the middle for impact – likely a reflection of its relatively robust traditional media system.
Betterly represents a hybrid influencer who is bringing traditional news values and practices to a platform environment. And that’s something she relishes. Both channels for communication bring her closer to the community in the 21Alive coverage area, which also happens to include her hometown.
“This is really where I’m meant to be,” she said. “Since I’ve come back I’ve realized how meaningful it is to be a part of your community and grow with it.”
