About us

Our mission and approach | Our funders | Our work in the news

Our mission

We inspire and empower journalists to evolve their practices in order to actively earn trust.

Our vision

All people should have access to — and be able to identify — journalism that is responsive to their needs, equips them to navigate their communities, and reflects their diverse priorities and values. In a world in which news consumers are confused and exhausted by information, responsible journalists should be transparent and proactive about why they are worthy of trust. 

Our approach

Trusting News inspires and empowers journalists to take responsibility for demonstrating their credibility and actively earning trust. We equip journalists to listen and engage with humility and to explain their integrity through day-to-day transparency. We use research-backed, newsroom-tested strategies to support journalists in building a better relationship with the people they aim to serve. We work in a continual cycle of research, learning and sharing to make sure the work evolves. Read about our body of research here.

Our foundational beliefs

  • Communities need access to news that reflects their diverse lives and values and is responsive to their priorities and feedback. 
  • Listening and humility should be central to how journalists operate. 
  • It’s up to journalists to invest in telling the story of what makes their own work valuable and trustworthy.

Our funders

In May 2024, Trusting News became an independent organization, and our tax-exempt status was granted in September. 

We accept financial donations through a fiscal sponsor, Journalism Funding Partners, which supports partnerships between funders and local newsrooms. 

Our funders back either general operations or specific projects. In either case, they do not have authoritative oversight or review of our work. They are supportive of our priorities but do not tell us what actions to take, which newsrooms to work with or what recommendations to offer the industry.

Long-time partner organizations:

Two organizations have been longtime supporters of Trusting News, and through 2024, contributed almost 20% of our funding. 

The Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI) works with the news industry, professors, students and others to make sure journalism has a long and bright future. As a “think-and-do” tank that opened its doors in 2008, RJI uses its guaranteed funding to work exclusively to strengthen journalism in the service of democracy. It’s part of the Missouri School of Journalism.

Trusting News was incubated as a project of RJI in 2016, and their support made it possible for a part-time research project to grow into an actual program. They served as our fiscal host through 2018 and will continue to support us through 2024.

The American Press Institute (API) supports local and community-based media through research, programs and products that foster healthy, responsive and resilient news organizations. It is a national 501(c)3 nonprofit educational organization affiliated with the News Media Alliance.

Trusting News was fiscally sponsored at API from 2019-2024. We regularly collaborated with their staff and benefited from the team’s thought leadership and support. 

Other current and past funders:

Like many journalism support organizations, most of our annual budget comes through philanthropy. If you would like to fund this project, or have ideas about who is investing in the ability of newsrooms to take ownership over the crisis of trust — in service of healthy communities and democracy — please let us know. Email founder and director Joy Mayer at joy@TrustingNews.org.

Trusting News work in the news

Here’s a look at how our work has been featured in other publications. Read more about our impact and what journalists have to say about our work here.