Five years ago, if you wanted to break a local story-say, a city council meeting that got canceled without notice-you had to call a reporter, hope they cared, and wait days to see it online. Today, someone with a phone and a Telegram channel can post it in minutes. And thousands of people see it before the local paper even wakes up.
This isn’t science fiction. It’s happening right now, every day, in cities and towns across the world. Telegram, once just another messaging app, has quietly become one of the most powerful tools for news production. Not because it was designed for it-but because it lets anyone with a network become a publisher.
Telegram Isn’t a News Site. It’s a News Factory.
Most people think of Telegram as a private chat app. But its real power lies in its channels. Unlike Twitter or Facebook, where posts get buried under ads and algorithms, Telegram channels let publishers control exactly who sees what. No engagement metrics. No shadow bans. No pay-to-play. Just a direct line from creator to audience.
Think about it: a high school student in Kyiv starts a channel to report on power outages during the war. A retired nurse in Lagos shares verified health tips during a cholera outbreak. A small business owner in Mexico documents police raids in real time. These aren’t journalists with press badges. They’re ordinary people with access to a tool that gives them the same reach as CNN.
Telegram channels can have millions of subscribers. Some of the biggest news channels on the platform aren’t run by media companies-they’re run by volunteers, activists, and even teens. One channel in Ukraine, @SBU_Info, started as a rumor mill in 2022. Today, it’s cited by international outlets like BBC and Reuters. Why? Because it’s fast. And it’s often the only source on the ground.
Who Gets to Tell the Story Now?
Traditional newsrooms used to gatekeep what counted as news. Editors decided what was important. Reporters had to follow strict ethics codes. Sources had to be verified through multiple channels. That system had flaws, but it created a baseline of accountability.
Telegram breaks that model. There’s no editor. No fact-checking team. No legal department. Anyone can start a channel. And that’s both its greatest strength and its biggest danger.
In places with weak press freedom-like Belarus, Iran, or parts of Africa-Telegram is the only way people get uncensored updates. In Brazil, community groups use Telegram to alert neighbors about violent crime before police respond. In the U.S., independent reporters covering local politics use Telegram to bypass corporate media silence.
But the same system that empowers truth-tellers also spreads lies. False claims about elections, fake emergency alerts, doctored videos-all spread faster than corrections can catch up. A single viral post in a Telegram channel with 500,000 subscribers can trigger panic, riots, or even mob violence. And because Telegram doesn’t moderate content like other platforms, there’s no easy way to pull it back.
Why Telegram Works for News-And Why Other Apps Don’t
Why not use WhatsApp? Too slow. Too private. Too limited to small groups.
Why not use Twitter? Too noisy. Too algorithm-driven. Too easy to get muted or banned.
Telegram solves these problems with three simple features:
- Unlimited subscribers-Channels can grow to millions without throttling.
- No algorithm-Posts appear in order. No one decides what you see.
- End-to-end encryption for private chats-Sources feel safe sharing leaks.
Plus, Telegram allows bots, polls, and file sharing up to 2GB. That means you can send raw footage, audio recordings, spreadsheets, and maps-all in one channel. A whistleblower in Russia can drop a 1.5GB folder of internal emails. A journalist in India can broadcast live audio from a protest. No platform makes that easy.
Compare that to TikTok, where videos get cut to 60 seconds, or YouTube, where uploads get flagged for copyright. Telegram doesn’t care what you post. As long as it’s legal in your country, it goes live.
The Rise of the Citizen Publisher
Before 2020, “citizen journalism” was a buzzword. Now it’s a daily reality.
Take the case of @SiberianNews, a Telegram channel started by a 22-year-old student in Novosibirsk. He began posting about illegal logging in his region after local newspapers ignored him. Within a year, his channel had 800,000 followers. Environmental groups started using his posts as evidence in court. The Russian government tried to shut him down. He just moved to a new channel and kept going.
This isn’t rare. In 2024, a study by the Reuters Institute found that over 60% of people in 12 countries now get their breaking news from social platforms-and Telegram was the fastest-growing source among them. In countries like Nigeria and Indonesia, Telegram surpassed WhatsApp as the top platform for news sharing.
These publishers aren’t paid. They don’t have offices. Many don’t even have journalism degrees. But they have something more valuable: trust. Their followers know them. They’ve seen them post daily for months. They know when they’re wrong-and when they’re right.
The Dark Side: Misinformation Without Consequences
But this freedom comes at a cost.
In 2023, a Telegram channel in the Philippines spread a fake video claiming a school bus had been hijacked by armed men. Parents rushed to the school. Police scrambled. The video was debunked within two hours-but not before two people were injured in the chaos.
Telegram doesn’t remove content unless it violates local law. And even then, enforcement is patchy. If you’re in the U.S., you can report a channel. But if you’re in Egypt or Venezuela, you’re out of luck. The platform’s policy is essentially: “We don’t moderate unless forced.”
This creates a wild west of information. On one side, you have real-time truth-telling. On the other, coordinated disinformation campaigns. The same tool that helps activists expose corruption also helps extremists recruit. There’s no middle ground.
And because Telegram doesn’t show public like counts or shares, it’s hard to tell what’s popular versus what’s dangerous. A channel with 10,000 subscribers might be spreading deadly rumors-and no one outside that group even knows it exists.
What This Means for Traditional Media
News organizations are scrambling to adapt.
Some ignore Telegram entirely. Others have created official channels. The Associated Press now runs a Telegram channel for breaking news in Latin America. The BBC uses it to distribute verified audio clips from conflict zones. But most outlets still treat Telegram like a footnote.
The truth? They’re losing ground. When a local fire breaks out in Chicago, people aren’t waiting for the newspaper’s website. They’re checking @ChicagoFireAlerts-run by a former firefighter who posts live updates every 10 minutes. The paper’s article comes out three hours later. By then, the story has already moved on.
Traditional media still has one advantage: credibility. But credibility doesn’t matter if no one sees your story. Telegram gives reach. And reach is power.
The Future: A New Kind of Journalism
Is Telegram the future of news? Not entirely. But it’s already the present.
We’re not going back to the days when only licensed reporters could tell the public what was happening. The tools are too easy. The demand is too high. People want news that’s fast, local, and unfiltered.
The challenge now isn’t stopping Telegram. It’s learning how to use it responsibly. That means:
- Verifying sources before sharing-even if it’s “just a rumor.”
- Following multiple channels to cross-check facts.
- Supporting independent journalists who use Telegram ethically.
- Calling out misinformation when you see it, not just ignoring it.
For everyday users, this isn’t about becoming a reporter. It’s about becoming a smarter consumer of news. You don’t need a press pass to help stop a lie from spreading.
For journalists and media companies, it’s time to stop seeing Telegram as a threat. It’s a pipeline. A tool. A way to reach people who no longer trust the old systems. The ones who’ve given up on TV news. The ones who don’t read newspapers. The ones who only believe what they see with their own eyes.
Telegram didn’t invent citizen journalism. But it gave it wings. And now, the world is watching.
Can anyone start a news channel on Telegram?
Yes. Anyone with a Telegram account can create a public channel in under a minute. No approval is needed. You don’t need to prove you’re a journalist, have a website, or even be an adult. This openness is what makes Telegram powerful-and risky.
Is Telegram more reliable than Twitter or Facebook for news?
It depends. Telegram has no algorithm, so posts appear in order, and it’s harder to censor. But it also has almost no moderation. Twitter and Facebook remove false content faster, but they bury real news under ads and trends. Telegram gives you raw access-but you have to do your own fact-checking.
How do I know if a Telegram news channel is trustworthy?
Look for consistency. Does the channel post regularly? Do they correct mistakes? Do they cite sources or show photos/videos with timestamps? Avoid channels that only post sensational headlines with no evidence. Cross-check with other channels or official sources like government websites or verified media outlets.
Can Telegram channels be shut down?
Only if they break local laws. Telegram doesn’t remove content unless a government requests it and provides legal justification. Even then, channels often reappear under new names. Many users create backups or mirror channels to stay online. Shutting one down rarely stops the flow of information.
Are there any good Telegram news channels to follow?
It depends on your location and interests. In Ukraine, @SBU_Info and @UkraineNow are widely trusted. In Nigeria, @NaijaNewsLive and @LagosAlert are popular. In the U.S., @BreakingNewsUS and @NYCAlerts cover local events. Always verify with multiple sources before sharing anything.
If you’re reading this and you’re not already using Telegram for news, you’re missing a major shift in how information moves. The old gatekeepers are still there-but they’re no longer the only ones with a microphone. The real question isn’t whether Telegram is good or bad. It’s whether you’re ready to use it wisely.
