A creator can give people a reason to buy a product. The more valuable opportunity is to give people a reason to care about the company supporting the creator. That takes more than a paid post. It takes a partnership the audience trusts.

Dave Jorgenson has spent years building that kind of trust. In 2019, he convinced The Washington Post to launch a TikTok channel, taking an institution known for investigative journalism onto a platform better known for dance videos. He became the Post’s “TikTok guy,” using comedy to bring young viewers into serious news and keep them coming back.

Last year, Jorgenson left the Post to co-found Local News International , an independent media company, with Lauren Saks and Micah Gelman, the newspaper’s former deputy director and director of video.

“The trust we have with our audience is everything we have,” Saks said. Jorgenson said he, Saks and Gelman carry close to fifty years of combined journalism experience, “so we have something to stand on that other creators just don’t have.”

Independence didn’t loosen that discipline, Jorgenson explained; it just changed who enforces it. LNI puts its standards in writing. It promises public corrections, an annual list of funders and no money from political parties, politicians or PACs. Its AI policy leaves little room for interpretation: “We are human. We don’t use AI to make our journalism. Absolutely no exceptions.”

“The audience understands that because we’re independent now, we need sponsors to keep the lights on,” he said. “They seem fine with that handshake. We deliver the news in a way they trust, and we show our work as reporters.”

LNI makes complicated topics understandable and difficult subjects approachable. Harry’s, the razor company, and beehiiv , the newsletter and media platform, are core sponsors, with partnerships that now extend to its new weekly show, “What’s Your Source?” For Harry’s, that commitment carries a larger ambition.

“The thing I’m trying to do is make Harry’s a brand people root for,” said Nick DiMichino, Head of Social, Content and Creators at Harry’s.

LNI launched “What’s Your Source?,” its first long-form show, on September 18. The weekly, roughly half-hour program uses comedy and reporting to investigate viewer questions.

“When I grew up, I wanted my own Colbert Report. This is the more journalistic version.” Jorgenson said.

Jorgenson describes the appeal from a viewer’s perspective: “I want to get the news from here because everywhere else is exhausting me or they’re condescending or both.” The new show gives him room to combine the humor viewers expect with a fuller examination of their questions.

The premiere episode goes straight to the possibility of AI causing human extinction. Atlantic journalist Will Oremus joins Jorgenson to examine warnings and calls for AI safeguards involving Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Elon Musk. The conversation explores the risks, the case for regulation and what the companies asking for it might stand to gain.

Jorgenson also knows the value of not being first. Rather than rush to offer breaking-news takes, Jorgenson said, his team often waits 12 to 24 hours before weighing in. “We’re trying to correct the record with empathy and humor, instead of adding to the disinformation.”

Why Harry’s Built A Creator Partnership With Journalist Dave Jorgenson

The Harry’s relationship began with a less existential question: “Will Dave Shave? In the five-part workplace comedy, Jorgenson became an intern at a razor company while sporting the very beard his new colleagues wanted him to lose. Harry’s Co-founder Jeffrey Raider played along, nudging his conspicuously bearded recruit toward the product.

When Jorgenson finally shaved, some followers worried Harry’s had pressured him. DiMichino said the idea was Dave’s, but he had actually wondered whether Jorgenson would follow through. Viewers had become protective of the beard and the man attached to it.

Harry’s built on that goodwill through ongoing sponsorship of Jorgenson’s news videos and support for the new show. “They want Dave to make a video every day, and that costs money and takes time,” DiMichino said.

LNI’s paid membership includes early access to episodes and newsletters, and members who join also get a Harry’s product bundle.

The partnership also makes room for subjects harder to joke about. Harry’s has donated more than $17 million to men’s mental-health causes, partnering with groups like SOS Signs of Suicide and Mental Health America to fund research and reduce barriers to care. One study looked at suicide and substance use among fishing, mining, and construction workers, research Jorgenson covered on LNI. LNI is also developing a long-form episode on mental health.

“I get chills just talking about it,” DiMichino said. “That’s the kind of stuff that’s really important and impactful.”

The work connects Harry’s longstanding investment in men’s mental health with LNI’s predominantly young, male audience, giving the partnership a shared purpose beyond the shave.

How Beehiiv Supports Independent Journalism

Beehiiv was already part of Jorgenson’s business before it became a sponsor. LNI publishes its newsletter on the platform, and Jorgenson belongs to its Media Collective, a group of roughly 30 independent journalists and media outlets that beehiiv backs with legal support, pre-publication review, insurance, and business guidance. Members keep 100 percent of their subscription revenue and retain control of their work.

As Jorgenson developed “What’s Your Source?,” beehiiv became its presenting sponsor, deepening the relationship through support across the launch and newsletter. A future episode covering social media algorithms is also part of the collaboration.

“Dave understands better than almost anyone how to make news accessible and engaging for how people consume information today,” said Tyler Denk, beehiiv’s co-founder and CEO. “That’s exactly the kind of journalism we want to support through the Media Collective, and we can’t wait to see What’s Your Source? come to life.”

The sponsorship makes beehiiv’s commitment to independent media concrete. Its platform helps Jorgenson build a direct relationship with readers. Its backing helps the team produce new work.

Creator Partnerships Give Audiences A Reason To Care About The Brand

Jorgenson’s credibility gives those partnerships a starting point. The brands’ contributions give viewers something to judge for themselves. That is the opportunity inside DiMichino’s ambition to build a brand people root for. A company that helps sustain something people already value, and makes that support visible, gives them a genuine reason to care about the brand itself.