Thanks to COVID-19, local news will never be the same. And it shouldn’t be

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Reynolds Journalism Institute or the University of Missouri. The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted our routines, transformed our social interactions and redefined our relationships. Yet, as odd as it sounds, we’ll likely come to appreciate some … Continued

Journalists, let’s invest in trust, not just expect it

We know trust in the news media is decreasing. I mean, it’s really not a pretty picture. Let’s start with this stat: A 2016 Gallup poll revealed that just 32% of Americans say they have “a great deal” or “a fair amount” of trust in mass media.

Trusting News project receives $100,000 grant from Knight Foundation

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation today committed $100,000 to the Trusting News project, which was launched by Joy Mayer with support from the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Missouri School of Journalism. The project develops news engagement experiments and trains journalists on ways to increase trust with their audiences. It relies … Continued

Breaking News 4: When real news is fake

For this article I’m defining fake news as “news stories that have no factual basis but are presented as facts” (taken from “Social Media and Fake News in the 2016 Election”), whether a site’s goal is to make money or make partisan political points. Here are several ways real and fake news are the same. … Continued