CHICAGO, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Scores of social media

influencers are fighting journalists for access, prestige and

workspace at a national convention this week where the

Democratic Party is counting on the influencers' viral online

videos to boost Kamala Harris' U.S. presidential hopes.

The Democratic National Convention credentialed more than

200 "content creators" for this week's four-day celebration of

Harris at the United Center arena, home to Chicago's basketball

and hockey teams.

It's a first-ever Democratic convention embrace of the power

of YouTube, TikTok and Instagram users who reach tens of

millions of Americans directly, many of them younger voters who

don't read or watch traditional news.

"We're giving creators a front row seat to history," said

Matt Hill, senior director of communications for the

convention.

The media and information landscape has changed considerably

since 2016, with the surge of social media platforms like

TikTok, a convention official said in support of the decision.

As of 2023, 83% of U.S. adults use YouTube, 68% use Facebook,

47% use Instagram, and 33% use TikTok, according to Pew Research

Center. Half of all U.S. adults get news often or sometimes from

social media, Pew found.

Unlike the thousands of journalists with newspapers, news

websites and TV and radio networks, influencers receive DNC

assistance connecting with Democratic leaders.

Influencers have access to a creator lounge in the United

Center and a creator platform section on the convention floor

where they can create video content.

The besieged journalism industry, which has lost tens of

thousands of jobs from cost-cutting and consolidation over more

than a decade, had its space at the convention slashed compared

to previous conventions, according to another Pew study.

"These are the worst working conditions of the 20

conventions I have covered," said Jonathan D. Salant, assistant

managing editor of politics at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

"We are restricted from going anywhere near the TV booths to

interview people. And the seats/workspace they set aside are so

high up that they are unsafe," Andrew Feinberg, a White House

correspondent for The Independent, posted on X.

Qondi Ntini, an influencer who founded the Thirst for

Democracy Fund in support of Harris, posted a series of photos

and videos for her 47,400 followers on X and nearly 14,000 on

TikTok.

Her postings on X show her at the convention, laughing with

Senator Raphael Warnock from Georgia, posing with an aide to

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and writing about the

star-studded list of speakers at Monday night's session.

"No one's replacing anybody," said Harris campaign digital

strategist Rob Flaherty, regarding traditional media and content

creators at a Politico event. "But here's the thing, like voters

consume information from more places than ever.... We certainly

don't expect any of those creators who are here to be

propagandists for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz," the Minnesota

governor and Harris' vice presidential running mate.

DIFFERENT EDITING AND PUBLISHING PROCESSES

Influencers and journalists have different editing and

publishing processes and different mandates.

While traditional news organizations view themselves as

neutral disseminators of current events, with editors and

fact-checking standards, content creators have a point of view

and typically rely on themselves for any checks and balances.

"I am heavily partisan," said Josh Helfgott, an influencer

who makes content around LGBTQ+ issues and is supportive of Vice

President Harris' bid for president. "There's no question that

the creators here that are invited are supportive of Kamala,

mostly, at least all the ones I've met."

When it comes to the information he puts out to his 5.5

million followers on TikTok (or about half the circulation of

the New York Times), Helfgott says: "I'm the editor, I'm the

writer, I'm the storyteller, I'm the PR guy," he said.

Traditional news outlets have been accused of bias through

history, and have been particularly vilified by conservatives in

recent years, with Republican candidate Donald Trump calling

them "the enemy of the people" and "fake news."

Many left-leaning Americans, meanwhile, say mainstream news

coverage of Harris in particular is sexist and unbalanced.

But Fabian Fellmann, U.S. correspondent for Tages-Anzeiger,

a daily newspaper in Switzerland, and for Süddeutsche Zeitung, a

daily newspaper in Germany, like many in the industry, does not

believe content creation to be a fair replacement.

"They get views on their platforms," he said, speaking to

Reuters next to the creator platform on the United Center's

convention floor. "They get clicks. They get advertisement

revenue. We're journalists. We get a salary that is independent

from what we write."

"I guess that's the new reality," he added.

Influencers' viral videos on social media platforms like

Instagram and TikTok can help raise enthusiasm among voters who

might not be as invested in politics, said Daniel Kreiss,

professor of political communication at the University of North

Carolina at Chapel Hill.

They can also help with a campaign's appeal to younger

voters, he said.

"So many people are getting their information from social

media, I'm a part of a big network of creators who are doing a

good job of informing everyone, regardless of political views,

right?" said Carlos Eduardo Espina, whose Spanish videos for the

Latino immigrant community have drawn 10.2 million followers on

TikTok.

The Democrats, particularly the Harris campaign, have

already leaned into virality this election cycle.

British pop sensation Charli XCX gave the vice president the

moniker "brat," same as the title of her latest album, and the

compliment took off, with the Harris campaign adopting the

album's lime green aesthetic for her "Kamala HQ" X account.

Eve, an influencer at the convention who did not provide her

last name, citing safety concerns, said she and her co-creator

Pari's coverage this week will include explaining the Democratic

Party's agenda as it applies to reproductive rights.

She wore a hat with a camouflage pattern that read, "Harris,

Walz." She said she received the hat at a DNC event earlier in

the day for creators.

"We especially reach young people," Eve said. "My hope is,

yes, we will have a big effect" in November's election.