In this program, newsrooms will work alongside Trusting News staff and a cohort of newsrooms to create an election FAQ
Deadline extended! Apply now to create an Election FAQ with help from Trusting News
How do you decide what to cover? How do you work to be fair? What sources do you trust?
When it comes to election coverage, getting transparent about these processes is especially important. We know that as a journalist, you’re working hard to provide a public service and contribute to a healthy democracy. But despite your best efforts, the time and ethics you pour into your coverage frequently go unnoticed by the public. This leaves audiences left to interpret coverage without insight into the rationale behind it, leading to accusations of thoughtlessness, bias and unfairness. We also know that sometimes journalists do fall to be thoughtful and do fall short of their goal to be independent and fair, and it’s important to acknowledge that as well.
At Trusting News, we want to help newsrooms be seen as a trusted, credible source for election news. That’s why we’re launching a 5-week program, “Clarifying Election Coverage,” that will help newsrooms tell a better story about the integrity and mission behind their election coverage. Applications are open through April 26.
Throughout the program, the cohort of newsrooms will work alongside Trusting News staff to get on the record about the goals, processes and ethics behind their election coverage, as well as point people to basic election information. By the end of the program, each newsroom will have a public-facing election FAQ that will share the goals and ethics behind their coverage and will help make coverage more accessible to their audiences.
Why an Election FAQ? A user-friendly FAQ page offers users a casual, accessible way to learn more about how your newsroom covers elections and politics. FAQs tend to be more conversational and can help newsrooms address both how they plan to cover races, politicians and voting, but they can also help make elections coverage feel less overwhelming by quickly pointing people to the basic information they need to participate in elections. See examples of what Election FAQs look like here.
>> Interested? Apply by April 26.
Details and logistics
- This five-week program is free and will start the week of May 13 and will wrap up June 14.
- Applications are open through the end of the day April 26. Applicants will be notified of acceptance by April 29, two weeks before the start of the program.
- Each participant should be prepared to spend 2-4 hours per week participating in this program. That time is mostly flexible but does include two live, one-hour sessions.
- This program is 100% remote and is facilitated through two live Zoom sessions, video recordings, a Slack workspace, assignments and optional coaching from the Trusting News team.
- We plan to accept up to 15 newsrooms. As we evaluate applications, we’re looking for journalists who have thoughtful observations and seem ready to invest in making changes.
Who should apply?
- This program is open to local journalists in U.S. newsrooms who are willing to commit to showing transparency about their elections coverage. (Note: It is not structured for freelancers.)
- We invite individual journalists, newsroom teams or newsroom management to apply. But we ask you to nominate one journalist to be the main point of contact.
- If you’re not a boss, we’ll ask newsroom management to OK your participation in the project to make sure you’ll have the support you need to carry it through.
- We will prioritize applications from journalists and newsrooms who are ready to embrace transparency around their goals and processes and can commit to sharing the work they develop through this program within their content both on and off platform.
What does being part of this project entail?
- You’ll participate in live sessions as well as participate in Slack workspace and fill out assignments in a Google Doc.
- You’ll have the opportunity to connect with Trusting News staff and with other participating newsrooms for coaching and support if you choose.
- The Trusting News team will publish a list of participating newsrooms. We will also be eager to share what you do with the industry, and your examples might be added to our Newsroom Example database and written about by Trusting News staff. (Nothing you share about your internal process will be published without your permission.)
Questions?
Please reach out if you have questions or need clarification! You can reach our team at info@trustingnews.org.
At Trusting News, we learn how people decide what news to trust and turn that knowledge into actionable strategies for journalists. We train and empower journalists to take responsibility for demonstrating credibility and actively earning trust through transparency and engagement. Subscribe to our Trust Tips newsletter. Follow us on LinkedIn and X (Twitter). Read more about our work at TrustingNews.org.
Director Joy Mayer (she/her) founded Trusting News in 2016 after a 20-year career in newsrooms and teaching. She spent 12 years at the Missouri School of Journalism, where she created an audience engagement curriculum and a community outreach team in the newsroom of the Columbia Missourian and also taught web design and print design. She lives in Sarasota, Florida, and can be reached at joy@TrustingNews.org or on Twitter @mayerjoy.
Project manager Mollie Muchna (she/her) has spent the last 10 years working in audience and engagement journalism in local newsrooms across the Southwest. She lives in Tucson, Arizona, where she is also an adjunct professor at the University of Arizona’s School of Journalism. She can be reached at mollie@trustingnews.org and on Twitter @molliemuchna.
