This is a guide to help independent journalists and news organizations use the federated web.

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Context: Given unstable ownership on traditional social media platforms, algorithm changes, and threats of de-platforming, this guide examines how journalists and news organizations can use the federated web as an additional or alternative social network channel.

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Problems with traditional platforms:

• The United States temporary de-platforming of TikTok
• Elon Musk’s controversial platform takeover of Twitter/X
• Algorithm shadow-bans and loss of community engagement
• Relationships and brand tied to platforms
• Discourages embedded links to external sites </aside>

Table of Contents

Background: The federated web

Further resources

FAQ

Platform overviews:

Ghost

Bluesky

Mastodon

For journalists and newsrooms:

Independent & Freelance Journalist

Organization-affiliated Journalist

Local/Regional Newsroom

National/International Newsroom

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Why should journalists utilize the fediverse?

1. Data Autonomy — Own and control your data.

   For example, if you post on X and the platform gets de-platformed, or you want to leave it, traditional social media prevents you from migrating your data, brand, and existing relationships to other platforms. For modern journalists whose social media posts exist as part of their portfolio, their data and intellectual property is then at the mercy of big tech owners. The fediverse avoids this issue, entitling journalists to freely migrate data at their discretion.

2. Avoiding Algorithms — Create content that finds your audience.

   Many federated platforms choose to minimize algorithms or avoid them altogether, eliminating the issue of being shadow-banned. Certain topics, keywords, or types of content are not pushed over others. This allows journalists to maintain relationships with their audience, knowing that their content will consistently reach them.

3. Sociopolitical Reasoning — Avoid supporting platform owners you are not aligned with.

   Due to the independence of the platforms on the federated web, single moderators operate each instance. This prevents a centralized owner or group of people making platform-wide decisions such as algorithm or levels of moderation.

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If your goal is…

Building out a new community

Increased audience engagement

Brand and feed personalization

Monetization

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Conclusion

The federated web is not a catch-all solution, and it may not yet be where most audiences spend their time. But, in an unstable media landscape, it is worth understanding as part of a broader forward-looking content distribution strategy.

For journalists and news organizations, the core question is how they can avoid being wholly dependent on platforms whose rules, algorithms, ownership, and priorities can change overnight. The federated web offers a model built around portability, resilience, and more direct relationships with communities. Even first steps, like reserving accounts, experimenting with posting, and introducing audiences to these spaces, can help newsrooms prepare for a social web that may shift towards less centralization over time.

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