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

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

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