More people than ever are turning to TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube to keep up with what’s happening in the world. But that convenience comes with a growing downside: feeds packed with misinformation, low-quality AI-generated content, and viral posts that are hard to trust. At the same time, public confidence in news continues to wobble. A Pew Research study from October found that only 56% of U.S. adults say they have a lot of or some trust in national news media. Add ongoing concerns about platform accountability and safety, and it’s easy to see why many users feel overwhelmed and skeptical while trying to stay informed.
SaySo is a new short-form video news app that’s trying to solve that problem by making news feel intentional again. The app recently launched on iOS in the U.S. and Canada, following a private beta that began in November. Its core pitch is simple: curated video journalism from vetted creators and independent journalists, delivered in a way that reduces doomscrolling and increases clarity.
One of the biggest differences is how SaySo structures the experience. Instead of pushing endless content the moment you open the app, it leans on a feature called Daily Digest. After you create a profile, you select topics you actually care about—such as politics, social issues, public health, or crime—and SaySo assembles a tailored set of videos for you each day. That set refreshes every 20 hours, nudging the app toward “check in, get updated, move on” rather than infinite scrolling.
If you want to go beyond the day’s curated lineup, there’s an Explore page for discovering more creators and a wider range of stories. SaySo also includes the familiar social features users expect in a video platform, including following creators, liking, saving, commenting, and sharing.
Trust is where SaySo is placing its biggest bet. Creators are required to include their sources directly within their videos, a built-in transparency move aimed at helping viewers quickly understand where information is coming from. On top of that, SaySo uses a combination of human and AI moderation alongside source validation to protect content integrity. The platform also doesn’t allow instant publishing; videos go through a moderation process first in an attempt to catch issues before they reach viewers. If something problematic gets through and is flagged, the team investigates, works with the creator, and removes the content if it crosses the line.
The company is also building a “community notes” feature designed to bring users into the accountability process through crowdsourced context and fact-checking—an approach that’s become increasingly common across social platforms as audiences demand more transparency.
At launch, SaySo brought on around 30 creators. The initial lineup includes voices like Nico Agosta, known for his “Stocking the Capitol” series that examines the financial activity of U.S. Congress members. There’s also Dr. Victoria, who covers racial justice and social change, and independent journalist Isabel Ravenna, who has written for major publications including National Geographic.
Creator compensation is another key piece of the platform’s plan. SaySo says many creators joined as founding partners and are receiving a stipend from the beginning. The company plans to roll out fuller monetization features in the coming months, and says most of the revenue will go directly to creators, though specific details about how monetization will work and the exact revenue split haven’t been shared.
SaySo is the flagship app from Caliber, a company founded in 2022 that rebranded in 2025 to focus more directly on social, short-form journalism. The broader goal is to build a news product that informs without contributing to the anxiety and overload many people associate with staying updated online.
Next, SaySo plans to expand beyond North America, with a U.K. launch targeted for summer. Additional market rollouts are planned throughout this year and into 2027, signaling a longer-term effort to build a global short-form news platform centered on sourced reporting, curated daily updates, and creator-led journalism.
