Join the people reshaping how truth travels — from the newsroom to TikTok — at Klein Camp 2025

The creators and influencers of the 2000s were called “bloggers.” 

A bunch of us had training in or took inspiration from the trade of journalism — getting facts right and serving an audience. So we got together in Philadelphia to swap perspectives and best practices in sharing information online.

That became an annual unconference now called Klein News Innovation Camp. The next edition is Saturday, Nov. 8, at Temple University, and we’re mixing it up: welcoming journalists, creators and other information providers (think technologists, advocates and ethical marketers) to come together.

The unconference format means it’s informal, welcoming and affordable — just $20 gets you a day of programming, breakfast, lunch and a happy hour too. About 200 of us will be there.

Hosted by Technical.ly, the day is made possible by the support of Temple University’s Klein College of Media and Communication, and the school’s Department of Geography, Environment and Urban Studies. 

The lunchtime keynote is “Creators, Influencers and Newsrooms,” a discussion with young news creator Santiago Ortiz (@noshortsusa), influencer Pop Pop Bruce Johnson (1M+ TikTok followers) and podcast producer, host and emotional investigative journalist Yowei Shaw.

As an unconference, most of the sessions are planned on-site. So do come with ideas! To help inspire, we organize a few pre-planned sessions, led by our advisory committee. Those sessions are: Our pre-planned sessions include:

• Speed Friending and Very Good Content Exchange led by independent creator Calan The Artist
• The Meme-ification of the News: When It’s Ok To Be Funny and Still Be Factual led by Influencer Journalism CEO Adriana Lacy
• Empowering Responsible Reporting on Gun Violence led by Samantha Caiola of AGVR and Eric Marsh of PCGVR
• What If There’s No Such Thing as a Journalist Anymore? led by content marketer Sean Blanda
• The Trust Test: Journalism in the Age of Creators led by Project C Founder Liz Kelly Nelson
• What is Media Philanthropy Anyway led by Nina Sachdev and Vince Stehle of Media Impact Funders
• Elements of AI for Ethical Storytelling: 5 Simple Principles led by Technical.ly Editorial Director Danya Henninger

So what ties together everyone who comes to Klein Camp? Whether you’re a reporter, a Substacker or a TikToker, it’s about doing right by your audience in a noisy digital world. With all this AI slop and lazy or intentional misinformation, we need to share best practices and lift each other up.

Come join us. Register now for the 16th annual Klein News Innovation Camp — Saturday, Nov. 8 at Temple University’s Mazur Hall in Philadelphia — and help shape what comes next for the people who inform communities online.