Editorial boards that look nothing like their cities shouldn’t speak for them

Why do editorial boards look nothing like their communities? For decades, one organization has comprehensively tracked newsroom’s hiring, retention, and diversity efforts. The American Society of News Editors’ annual survey has always painted an occasionally hopeful but dim-in-aggregate picture of American newsrooms. Across the board, newsrooms often reflect the diversity of the country and their … Continued

A Trusting News analysis: What news consumers say they trust

Trusting News Project ReportDownload Fundamentally, news consumers trust journalism that they find to be balanced, in-depth, honest and reputable.  Those qualities appeared over and over in an analysis of 81 in-depth interviews our newsroom partners conducted with members of their communities. And when asked directly about what defines quality journalism, they were at the top … Continued

Journalists: Defend your work through action, not just with editorials

The Trusting News project, staffed by Joy Mayer and Lynn Walsh, is designed to demystify the issue of trust in journalism. They research how people decide what news is credible, then turn that knowledge into actionable strategies for journalists. The project is funded by the Reynolds Journalism Institute, the Knight Foundation and Democracy Fund.

A more nuanced understanding of ‘journalism’ is needed  —  and we need our communities’ help

Originally published on Medium Trusting News works to empower journalists to demonstrate credibility by helping people understand journalism. Never has that been more important than today. Journalists are heading to work — the day after a mass shooting in a community newsroom — to keep telling stories that improve public life. In fact, the surviving members of the Capital … Continued

Earning trust by inviting questions … and answering them

Originally published on Medium As newsrooms have joined the Trusting News work, we’ve asked them to think about how they might introduce the work to their audiences and how those audiences might be invited to weigh in. News consumers aren’t usually shy about telling us how we could do better, but asking for feedback directly … Continued

Trust us, your news consumers really want to talk to you about trust

It turns out, plenty of news consumers are eager to talk to journalists about trust. The 30 official newsroom partners in the Trusting News interview project have begun reaching out to their audiences, and the results have exceeded my expectations. Some newsrooms are seeing more than 1,000 responses to their introductory questionnaires. (Here’s what the … Continued

How building trust with news consumers is like dating

Relationships take work. You don’t get intimacy without putting in some time. You don’t ask for favors without offering the equivalent yourself. You earn trust by being there consistently, and by listening. The Trusting News project is basically a recipe for a genuine, two-way relationship with news consumers, rather than just an exchange of information. Relationships … Continued