Dave Jorgenson, The Washington Post’s so-called “TikTok Guy”, has left the iconic US newspaper to go it alone. Jorgenson launched the Post’s TikTok account in 2019 and is credited with having helped it build almost 2 million followers.
Jorgenson’s success has been his ability to take serious news and encapsulate it in punchy and amusing videos – perfect for the digital-first audience. Going forward, Jorgenson’s insights can be found on his own channel Local News International, which is available on multiple platforms including YouTube. In a recent interview with Jorgenson, the New York Times said LNI hopes to combine the wit of ‘The Daily Show With Jon Stewart’ with the maverick humour of Ron Burgundy from ‘Anchorman’.
Jorgenson flagged up the move by posting a video in which he pens a light-hearted “Dear Jeff Bezos” letter, informing the owner of the Post that he is leaving the company. In a comment that perhaps hints at his own political positioning, Jorgenson rounds off the video by saying to Bezos: “We never actually met. I kind of look like JD Vance, the guy that was ten feet away from you at Trump’s inauguration”.
In the video, Jorgenson said he will still be posting Shorts and TikToks five days a week, as well as monthly long-form videos. “We’ll have a newsletter and some neat partnerships too,” said Jorgenson, adding that “viewers can still expect the same high-quality fact-checked videos”.
Unfortunately for Jorgenson, he is not able to take his existing audience with him. At time of writing LNI had 102,000 YouTube subscribers and 97,000 followers on TikTok.
The shift has caught the attention of the trade media – but it will be interesting to see if Jorgenson is able to build his own brand outside the framework of The Washington Post. At the same time, all eyes will be on whether The Post can maintain the same rapport with its audience now he has left. Carmella Boykin and Joseph Ferguson are currently curating the paper’s TikTok and two YouTube accounts.
