SaySo launches short-form video app to restore news trust

SaySo has officially launched its short-form video app for iOS users in the U.S. and Canada this month, following a private beta that began in November. The platform is designed to restore users’ trust in news by delivering curated content from vetted creators and independent journalists. SaySo is owned by Caliber, a company founded in 2022 as The News Movement before rebranding in 2025 to focus on social, short-form journalism.

To distinguish itself from traditional social media feeds, the app features a “Daily Digest” that curates videos based on topics selected by the user, such as politics, public health, or crime. This personalized selection refreshes every 20 hours. To maintain content integrity, SaySo requires creators to list their sources directly within their videos and employs a moderation system that combines human review with artificial intelligence.

“Content doesn’t auto-publish. Everything goes through a moderation queue, so most problems are caught before they reach readers. If something slips through and gets flagged, we investigate, address it directly with the creator, and take it down if it crosses the line,” said Dion Bailey, co-founder and CTO of SaySo. Additionally, the company is developing a crowdsourced fact-checking feature, similar to community notes on other platforms, to involve users in the verification process.

The platform’s launch comes at a time of widespread skepticism toward both traditional and social media. Only 56% of U.S. adults report having a lot of or some trust in national news media. At the same time, audiences are increasingly wary of misinformation and low-quality AI-generated content on major social networks, alongside broader industry challenges such as lawsuits against Meta related to harming young people and ownership concerns surrounding TikTok.

At launch, SaySo onboarded approximately 30 creators, including independent journalist Isabel Ravenna, social change commentator Dr. Victoria, and political finance creator Nico Agosta. Ramin Beheshti, SaySo’s CEO and co-founder and the former chief product and tech officer at Dow Jones, noted that many of these creators have joined as founding partners and are receiving a stipend from day one. Over the coming months, the company plans to build out its monetization infrastructure, with the intention of directing the vast majority of future revenue to creators. SaySo plans to launch in the U.K. in the summer.

Why it matters

SaySo attempts to solve the news trust problem by combining short-form video with human-in-the-loop moderation. The platform positions itself as a curated alternative to the algorithmic chaos of major social platforms.