Journalists in the Influencer Age: Navigating Storytelling on Social Media
As social media continues to reshape how audiences discover, trust, and engage with news, journalists are increasingly being asked to think beyond the traditional story format. From building a personal brand to understanding platform analytics, today’s storytellers must navigate a media landscape where reporting, audience engagement, and digital identity often overlap.
Join AAJA New York and Adelphi University’s Department of Communication for a conversation on what it means to be a journalist in the influencer age. This panel will bring together media professionals and digital creators to discuss how journalists can use social platforms thoughtfully, build authentic relationships with audiences, and balance credibility with visibility.
PANELISTS
Malika Burieva: Adelphi professor, Content Creator
Azadeh Valanejad: EIC at EnVi Media, Content Creator
Sirui Hua: Head of Audience and Analytics, Now This Media
Xintian Tina Wang (moderator): Culture Critic, AAJA NY President
AGENDA
5:30-6:10pm Check-in
6:10-6:15pm Welcoming Remarks
6:20-7:00pm Panel & Questions
7:00-8:00pm Networking/Refreshment
About the Speakers
Malika Burieva is a cultural journalist, content creator, communications professional, and adjunct professor at Adelphi University. Her work explores the histories, identities, and cultures of Central Asia, the Middle East, and the broader Eastern world. With more than 120,000 social media followers, she creates educational, narrative-driven content on history, language, and culture. Her work has been recognized by the BBC World Service and featured at the International South Asian Film Festival. She also teaches Content Creation & Social Media Influencing at Adelphi and has received honors, including the Press Club of Long Island’s 2024 Media Award for Student Journalism.
Sirui Hua is Head of Audience and Analytics at NowThis Media, where he directs social strategy, distribution, and community management across all major social platforms, with a footprint of more than 100 million followers, plus the data and AI systems that measure everything the company publishes.
Azadeh Valanejad is a multimedia journalist, media entrepreneur, and educator focused on elevating diverse voices. A Columbia Journalism School graduate, she began her career at Condé Nast, working across Vanity Fair, Glamour, and Allure. She is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of EnVi, a digital media company covering culture and entertainment across the Asian diaspora, reaching more than 120,000 monthly readers. An inaugural Gold House Gold Publisher, Azadeh has also spoken at Morgan Stanley, NYU, and the Serica Initiative. She teaches English Composition at Middlesex College and is developing a new venture for third-culture women across the Asian diaspora.
Xintian Tina Wang is an award-winning arts and culture journalist whose work has appeared in TIME, HuffPost, NBC News, ELLE, ARTNews, and Observer. Her work has been recognized by the Gracie Awards, United Nations Correspondents Association, Gold House, and Boston Short Film Festival. As president of the Asian American Journalists Association’s New York Chapter, she leads programs advancing media equity. She has spoken on journalism and arts storytelling at the City University of New York, Asia Society, Cultural Lab, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Wang holds an M.S. in journalism from Columbia University and a B.S. in communication from Boston University.