Journalists Have Something Vital To Learn From Podcasting. Let's Talk About It.

Written By BIPOC Podcast creators

Trust, Power, and Serving the People

By Tangia R. Al-awaji Estrada
Co-founder, BIPOC Podcast Creators
Founder, Audacious Strategies

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to co-lead a session at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Conference alongside Maribel Quezada Smith and Gabriel Soto of Edison Research. Our session was titled "News and Podcasting: A Guide for Journalists on Engaging Latino and POC Audiences," and to be honest, we weren't sure how the room would receive it.

As it turns out, we struck a nerve.

The room was packed. Photojournalists, reporters, anchors, editors, and student journalists filled every seat. And the feedback was clear: this was a conversation journalists are hungry for. 

A conversation we should have been having years ago. Because while much of the news media focused on budgets and political expediency, entire communities found their trusted voices elsewhere. And many of those voices have zero commitment to truth.

Here's what we learned. And here's what we all need to take seriously as we look to the future of journalism, media, and the narratives shaping this country.

The Numbers Don't Lie: Podcasting Isn't the Future. It's the Now.

Let's start with the facts that should make every newsroom pay attention:

  • According to Edison Research, Latino podcast listeners are up 52% in the last three years.

  • 1 in 3 Latino listeners prefer podcasts in both English and Spanish, a nuance that traditional media continues to ignore.

  • YouTube is now the number one platform for Latino podcast listeners, surpassing Spotify and Apple.

  • And listeners of color are more likely to say podcasts help them feel seen, connected, and understood.

That's not just an audience shift. That's a cultural shift. More importantly, it represents a massive shift in trust.

As someone who's spent over a decade building audiences and brand loyalty, I can tell you this: when your target demographic is actively seeking alternative platforms, you've lost more than viewers. You've lost relevance.

The Hard Truth: Many Newsrooms Didn't Just Miss the Wave

Here's what I see from my work in PR and audience strategy: many newsrooms and legacy media platforms didn't just miss the podcasting wave; they watched it happen and decided to stay on the shore. They treated podcasting like a side project, a "nice to have," instead of recognizing it as a fundamental shift in how people consume and trust information.

While newsrooms hesitated, other voices stepped in to fill that space. Voices that understood something that some newsrooms forgot: audiences don't just want information, they want to feel valued by the people delivering it.

Connection Over Clicks: What Podcasters Understand About Audience Building

Traditional news media often focus on "know your audience" through demographics. Age, gender, income, education, and geography. But successful podcasters, the ones who build loyal, engaged communities, take a completely different approach.

Podcasters don't just ask who their audience is. They ask:

  • What's keeping them up at night?

  • What aren't they seeing reflected in the news?

  • How do they want to feel after listening?

That's the difference between publishing content for people and creating something to meet their needs.

In our session, we challenged attendees to reframe their thinking from "reporting the news" to "solving a problem through storytelling." Not abandoning journalistic integrity, but rather creating deep resonance to strengthen it.

Consider these approaches:

  • A local podcaster addressing immigration policy not through statistics, but through personal stories of how taco trucks in Los Angeles build community.

  • A crime beat journalist creates a limited-series podcast about one missing girl, explaining the larger context of violence against Indigenous women with cultural nuance that resonates with that community.

  • A bilingual host explaining policy through a story series following a family divided by opposing political ideologies, bridging generational and language divides with expert insight.

A successful podcast doesn't require millions of listeners. It requires that a specific audience feel seen, heard, and valued.

The Cautionary Tale We Can't Ignore

Here's where we need to have an uncomfortable conversation. The Joe Rogan Experience has a massive influence, not because Joe Rogan is a journalist (we all know he's not), but because he makes a specific audience feel valued. Primarily males, with a significant portion being young males between 18 and 34 years old.

This is the kind of connection that every community craves. And when legitimate news sources don't provide it, people will find it elsewhere. Rogan's success isn't something to emulate (in my opinion); it's a warning about what happens when the news media abandon their responsibility to build genuine relationships with their communities.

That influence could belong to those journalists with integrity, training, and accountability. But they have to find a way to meet people where they are.

The Trust Vacuum Is Real, and It's Being Filled by the Wrong Voices

Let's not mince words: Audiences, particularly communities of color, have measurable reasons to distrust mainstream media. A 2023 Pew Research study found that only 32% of Americans have "a great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in newspapers, and the numbers are even lower among Hispanic and Black Americans.

People are tired of parachute journalism, of surface-level reporting, of being reduced to "issues" instead of being seen as whole people and complex communities.

Right now, that trust vacuum is being filled every day by YouTube commentators, TikTok creators, and misinformation machines. It needs to be filled by any of the many journalists who still have their integrity intact.

What Journalists Can Do Right Now

If you're a journalist reading this, here's the good news: You don't need a studio or a sponsor to get started. You already have the most valuable assets—credibility, research skills, and access.

You can:

  • Build your independent podcast that speaks directly to your community and prove that you see their value beyond page views.

  • Start interviewing trusted community voices and releasing short audio explainers on platforms people already use.

  • Partner with creators already doing this work (especially BIPOC-led shows) instead of trying to build from scratch.

  • Use your reporting skills to elevate the credibility of platforms people already trust.

  • Help your newsroom stop treating podcasting like an "extra" and start treating it like the essential communication tool it is.

This is about more than adapting to evolving technologies; it's about serving your audience authentically and not expecting them to come to you.

Strategic Models Worth Studying

There are powerful examples of journalists and creators who've cracked this code:

Futuro Media - Founded by Maria Hinojosa, this is what happens when journalists of color reclaim narrative control. From Latino USA to In the Thick, they combine deep reporting with cultural competence. They've proven you can center a community without flattening complexity.

NPR's Strategic Approach - While it's easy to criticize legacy institutions, NPR invested in podcasting early and made space for shows like Code Switch, Throughline, and Embedded. They demonstrate how to combine rigorous journalism with the intimacy and flexibility that podcast audiences expect.

Pantsuit Politics - Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers aren't journalists, but they've built noticeable political influence through nuanced, empathetic conversation instead of hot takes. They prove you don't need legacy media backing to create impact. But imagine the impact if that influence came with journalistic training and accountability.

The lesson: Each of these succeeded by prioritizing authentic relationship-building and deep cultural nuance over traditional metrics. They have trust because their audiences know they are seen and valued, and they didn't wait for permission to meet their audiences where they actually are.

The Future of News Is Networked, Not Broadcast

Podcasting has taught us that engagement beats exposure. People would rather share a story that feels personal than a polished headline.

It's also taught us that the media is no longer one-way. Communities don't just want to be covered; they expect to be centered. They want to be collaborators, not just subjects.

That shift has already happened. The question is whether mainstream media will adapt.

Here's Your Call to Action

We need journalists now more than ever. But we also need you to evolve. To get uncomfortable and ask yourself:

What am I doing to earn my audience's trust, not just their clicks?

At BIPOC Podcast Creators, we work with media companies and independent journalists who are ready to build authentic relationships with diverse audiences. We've seen what works: strategic community engagement, culturally competent content, and partnerships that center rather than extract from communities.

If you're ready to move beyond traditional metrics and build genuine influence, we're here to help. Because the alternative is that more untrained voices fill the trust gap, and it’s too dangerous to accept.

The mic is available, but the audience is already moving. Who's going to pick it up?

Ready to Get Started?

Learn More About the NAHJ News and Podcasting Workshop Creators:

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