Many users are attracted to platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube for news updates. However, people are increasingly complaining about misinformation and AI cluttering their feeds. Concerns about trust have grown, especially due to lawsuits against Meta for harming young people and worries over American TikTok’s ownership. Trust in traditional news outlets has also declined; a Pew Research study shows only 56% of U.S. adults trust national news media to some extent.
SaySo, a new short-form video app, aims to provide curated news from vetted creators and independent journalists. Launched for iOS users in the U.S. and Canada after a private beta, SaySo distinguishes itself by offering a more intentional, personalized news experience, avoiding endless scrolling.
One of SaySo’s standout features is Daily Digest, where users select topics of interest, and the app curates videos for them each day, refreshing every 20 hours. An Explore page allows users to discover content from different creators. Typical features like following, liking, saving, commenting, and sharing are also included.
SaySo requires creators to include sources in their videos to build user trust, combining human and AI moderation with source validation. “Content doesn’t auto-publish,” says Dion Bailey, co-founder and CTO. “Everything goes through moderation, and flagged content is investigated and addressed with the creator.”
SaySo is developing a “community notes” feature for user participation in accountability, similar to systems on X and TikTok. At launch, SaySo onboarded about 30 creators, including Nico Agosta, known for his “Stocking the Capitol” series, Dr. Victoria on racial justice and social change, and Isabel Ravenna, a journalist with bylines in outlets like National Geographic.
SaySo CEO and co-founder Ramin Beheshti states many creators are founding partners receiving stipends from day one, with plans to build full monetization infrastructure soon. Specifics on monetization or revenue splits were not disclosed.
Previously, Beheshti was chief product and tech officer at Dow Jones. SaySo, the flagship app of Caliber, focuses on social, short-form journalism. “We wanted to build a new breed of news product helping people rather than adding to the familiar overwhelm,” says Beheshti. The company plans to launch SaySo in the U.K. in the summer, with further expansion planned throughout this year and 2027.