IMTB presents to UNESCO workshop on Digital Content Creators and Information Integrity unveiling its draft creator charter
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Last Monday, our director-general, Scott Guthrie, spoke at the invitation of UNESCO on the importance of content creator information integrity, presenting a draft professional creator charter.
Representing the Influencer Marketing Trade Body and the European Influencer Marketing Alliance (EIMA), Guthrie was part of a small group of subject matter experts invited to participate in the workshop convened by the UN’s agency for the promotion of education, science, culture, and communication.
Attended by journalists, representatives from UNESCO and the European Union, media regulators, academics, professional associations and experts in media and information literacy, elections and conflict prevention, the half-day workshop explored how to foster the commitment of digital content creators for information integrity, and build on the outcomes of UNESCO’s work in that area – notably the Behind The Screens study and the online course How to Be a Trusted Voice.
- 55% of TikTok and Snapchat users and 52% of Instagram users get their news from influencers, compared to 33-42% who rely on mainstream media. This is according to the annual Digital News Report report by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.
- 37% of American adults aged under 30 – say they regularly get news from influencers on social media according to the Pew Research Center.
- More than three quarters (77%) of those influencers have no affiliation or background with a news organisation says the Pew Research report.
These figures support data collated by UNESCO last year as part of its Behind The Screens study, which surveyed 500 digital content creators across 45 countries, and found that only 14% of respondents have received any basic journalism training or benefit from institutional safeguards.
Mr Tawfik Jelassi, Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information, UNESCO speaking at the UNESCO workshop on Digital Content Creators and Information Integrity
Guthrie reminded workshop participants that the essence of influencer marketing’s success lies in the high level of consumer trust it enjoys compared to other advertising channels. Lose consumer trust. We lose our industry.
Early last year, IMTB worked with Dr David Schley, deputy director at Sense about Science on the concept of a professional creator charter. Sense about Science is a UK-based independent charity that promotes the public interest in sound science and evidence.
IMTB researched existing journalism codes and citizen journalism codes along with best practice guides from several jurisdictions.
Sense and Science reviewed draft iterations of our charter. The charity said the code aligned well with the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics and Ethical Journalism Network Ethical Principles.
Scott Guthrie representing the IMTB and EIMA presenting a draft professional creator charter to UNESCO workshop delegates
IMTB’s draft professional creator charter - promoting accurate content - is built on four principles:
- Truth, Accuracy and Verification
- Responsibility and Accountability
- Transparency and Disclosure
- Authenticity and Integrity
The charter calls upon creators to make a series of commitments.
The UNESCO Workshop on Digital Content Creators and Information Integrity was held in Brussels on 5th May 2025 as part of the World Press Freedom Day celebrations.
About the European Influencer Marketing Alliance
In July 2024, IMTB co-founded the European Influencer Marketing Alliance (EIMA) alongside influencer marketing associations in France (UMICC) and Germany (BVIM).
EIMA provides a unified voice for creator economy constituents to regulators, legislators, media, academics and other key stakeholders at a time of tremendous growth within the industry but also a time of increased legislative and regulatory scrutiny.
Today, EIMA represents 300 agencies and 8,000 creators through influencer marketing bodies in seven countries.
About the Influencer Marketing Trade Body
The IMTB is a UK-based not-for-profit professional membership organisation dedicated to building a robust, sustainable future for the influencer marketing industry through increased accountability, governance and a unified voice.
Launched in October 2021 with six founding members, the IMTB now counts circa. 30 progressive creator economy companies as members.
Member organisations sign up to a code of conduct when joining the IMTB. The code articulates specific requirements for members. These are the behaviours that members must demonstrate when they are providing business services and ensure our members are always responsible, accountable, transparent and competent.
IMTB represents influencer marketing on the Committee of Advertising Practice ("CAP") as a member. CAP is responsible for writing and updating the rules on advertising in the UK via the CAP (Non-broadcast Advertising) Code.
CAP is the sister organisation of the Advertising Standards Authority ("ASA") - the UK’s independent advertising regulator that administers the CAP Code to keep ads legal, decent, honest and truthful.
IMTB co-owns the Influencer Marketing Code of Conduct alongside ISBA. The Code, first launched by ISBA in September 2021 and updated in May 2022, aims to standardise good practices and guidance with brands, agencies and creators. It covers areas including disclosure, transparency, pay parity, and effective representation.