This weekly Trust Tips newsletter shares quick, actionable tips for how journalists can earn and sustain trust. Subscribe to get it in your inbox at trustingnews.org/newsletter.
Author: Lynn Walsh
Build trust with your newsletter by sharing your mission and goals
This weekly Trust Tips newsletter shares quick, actionable tips for how journalists can earn and sustain trust. Subscribe to get it in your inbox at trustingnews.org/newsletter.
Emphasize human involvement to build trust with your use of AI
This weekly Trust Tips newsletter shares quick, actionable tips for how journalists can earn and sustain trust. Subscribe to get it in your inbox at trustingnews.org/newsletter.
Today’s trust tip: Make health coverage more useful through clear sourcing and context
This weekly Trust Tips newsletter shares quick, actionable tips for how journalists can earn and sustain trust. Subscribe to get it in your inbox at trustingnews.org/newsletter.
Trust Tips: Use our audience survey to make national news more relevant
This weekly Trust Tips newsletter shares quick, actionable tips for how journalists can earn and sustain trust. Subscribe to get it in your inbox at trustingnews.org/newsletter.
Trust Tips: Treat AI literacy as part of news literacy
This weekly Trust Tips newsletter shares quick, actionable tips for how journalists can earn and sustain trust. Subscribe to get it in your inbox at trustingnews.org/newsletter.
Make legislative coverage less polarizing and more accessible
Four ways to help make your legislative coverage more accessible, engaging and trustworthy
Deadline extended: Join our next AI cohort (includes $2,000 stipend)
Building on the success of our first AI newsroom cohort, this second cohort will test in-story disclosure language directly with audiences.
New research: When disclosing use of AI, be specific
New research shows importance of being specific when disclosing how AI was used
Apply to join Trusting News’ paid newsroom cohort on AI transparency
We’re looking for newsrooms who want to lead the way in transparent AI practices. Participating newsrooms will each receive a $2,000 stipend.
Don’t overuse “Breaking News” label in election coverage
While I was watching the presidential debate on TV, a breaking news alert appeared and grabbed my attention. I had the hoped-for reaction: “What’s going on?” But then it just led to anchors at a desk previewing the debate — a scheduled and planned event. Turns out, the “breaking news” was just about the debate itself. As […]
New research: Journalists should disclose their use of AI. Here’s how.
New data collected by a recent newsroom cohort, hosted by Trusting News and Online News Association, shows a majority of news consumers want journalists to disclose how and why they used AI in their journalism.
Ask your community about the use of AI in your journalism
Our survey and community interview guide can help
Resource: AI community interview guide for journalists
Trusting News is launching a new interview guide designed to help you understand what your community thinks about AI
Make your election coverage findable and useful
How accessible is your election coverage?
Use quick summaries to make your news approachable
In our recent program around confronting news avoidance, newsrooms in the cohort heard how people felt very overwhelmed by the news, both by its volume and content. These news avoiders told our partner journalists they wanted news that felt more basic — and as one newsroom put it, simply helped people “with important civic processes.” How can […]
Grant from the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation will support Trusting News’ work on AI disclosures and ethics
The $200,000 grant will fund Trusting News’ work to develop strategies around how newsrooms can be transparent about their use of AI.
Don’t let your CMS be a hindrance to adding transparency
Yes, plug-ins may make it easier — but not having them shouldn’t stop you from working to build trust.
Add transparency on air in these 4 ways
More people get news from TV than from radio or print. And when it comes to access to news across diverse communities, it’s also true that local TV is more preferred by people of color in the U.S. than newspapers or digital-first local news. It’s free, and it’s widely available. Thanks to research, we know TV newsrooms can […]
Use video to explain ballot initiatives and candidate viewpoints
Think about the election reporting you produce or consume. It probably contains information about a ballot initiative or a candidate’s views on a topic, but do you ever notice how those explanations are often woven throughout stories? They’re sandwiched between quotes and part of a larger narrative we’re telling. That’s not always bad, of course. […]
Learn how to better cover elections through free online course through the Knight Center
New free, online course will help journalists better cover elections by centering coverage on communities and solutions
Trusting News’ 2024 priorities include AI, elections, news avoidance and newsroom echo chambers
Trusting News Director Joy Mayer trains a group of Koch Fellows at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Feb. 7, 2024. Photo by Gil Asakawa.
How newsrooms can use a checklist to avoid polarization in political coverage
Some of these Advancing Democracy newsrooms used the checklist while covering the election and politics in late 2023. The journalists were asked to take notes on which stories they used the checklist for and answer questions about any changes they made related to sourcing, language (in the story and headline) and story framing.
Explain your election coverage goals with a mission statement and FAQ page
This weekly Trust Tips newsletter shares quick, actionable tips for how journalists can earn and sustain trust. Subscribe to get it in your inbox at trustingnews.org/newsletter.
How we worked alongside you to build trust this year
This weekly Trust Tips newsletter shares quick, actionable tips for how journalists can earn and sustain trust. Subscribe to get it in your inbox at trustingnews.org/newsletter.
Trust Tips 248: How to decide which stories to add transparency elements to
This weekly Trust Tips newsletter shares quick, actionable tips for how journalists can earn and sustain trust. Subscribe to get it in your inbox at trustingnews.org/newsletter.
Trust Tips 247: Ask your audience what type of climate coverage would be most useful
This weekly Trust Tips newsletter shares quick, actionable tips for how journalists can earn and sustain trust. Subscribe to get it in your inbox at trustingnews.org/newsletter.
Trust Tips 245: How to build trust in your coverage of conflict and war
This weekly Trust Tips newsletter shares quick, actionable tips for how journalists can earn and sustain trust. Subscribe to get it in your inbox at trustingnews.org/newsletter.
Improving climate coverage for trust and understanding
Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time, impacting communities and ecosystems worldwide. Yet, when it comes to climate coverage in the media, there’s a growing sense of frustration and despair among audiences.
How one TV newsroom is committing to inclusive reporting
Discussing diversity issues and working to produce news coverage that more accurately reflects and depicts what is happening in your community can be a daunting task. While this work isn’t easy, at Trusting News, we believe it’s essential if you want to build trust with your community, engage with them and keep them informed through […]
See how newsrooms talk publicly about improving diversity in their coverage
Talking publicly about diversity issues can be challenging. But, as with anything journalists do, actions and intentions (especially good ones) are likely to go unnoticed by news consumers.
Journalists from around the world are creating products to create transparency and build trust with their communities
Through the Leap innovation training program, The International Center for Journalists and Trusting News challenged journalists to answer this question: What can we build to increase trust in journalism now — and ensure misinformation and polarization do not find a foothold in future spaces?
Define and share your mission for covering the election
Instead of keeping all of your election planning and decision-making internal, share what you are doing publicly. Explain the focus of your stories, discuss what issues and races you are prioritizing and why, and talk about the goals of your overall coverage.
How journalism students are using audio boxes to explain their reporting process
Leigh Wright, an associate professor of journalism at Murray State University, worked with students to explain their reporting process by recording short audio clips and embedding them at the top of their stories.
How a large global newsroom is building trust using video, surveys, Facebook and more
It may sound simple enough: Tell your audience who you are and what you value. But for some reason, journalists and newsrooms find themselves either struggling to put those explanations into words or burying them somewhere on their website where few people find them. Two newsrooms of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (a large, international news organization) wanted […]
How one investigative news team explained their goals, mission and reporting process
We know from user research that news consumers value depth. We also know that people say they want to see evidence of fair reporting and thoughtful decision-making.
Build trust with your photos and videos
When journalists tell stories through visuals, there are a lot of options for where to turn. There are also a variety of ways to capture a photo, edit a video, and share visual content. The bottom line: A lot of decisions are made by journalists and newsrooms related to the types of visual content they […]
People don’t assume journalists have ethics. Here’s how you can highlight yours.
Do journalists have solid ethics? It’s a question that, depending on who you ask, will probably result in very different answers. Ask a room full of journalists, and they will probably say, “of course we do.” Ask a group of students (something I do often) and you’re likely to get mixed answers — eventually landing […]
Here’s what people with low trust in news learned attending a morning TV news meeting
Research with WCPO helped unlock insights into how TV news stations could rebuild trust with their audience by having them attend a morning TV news meeting.
What PolitiFact learned about making money and earning trust
When journalists practice transparency around their processes, their goals and their values, news consumers tend to respond positively. Sometimes, they even spend more money on journalism. That’s the case with an experiment we ran this summer with PolitiFact. We divided the audience of their weekly email newsletter into segments to test two things: In both […]
How can news products help build trust in news?
The latest data from Gallup shows less than four in 10 U.S. adults say they have “a great deal” (7%) or “a fair amount” (29%) of trust and confidence in the media to report the news “fully, accurately, and fairly,” while more than six in 10 have “not very much” trust (29%) or “none at all” […]
What does “fairness” in news stories actually look like?
News consumers often say they want stories that “just give me the facts” and “include both sides.” When asked what they’re looking for in responsible journalism, at the very top of the list for news consumers will be one word: balance. (At least, it’s at the top of the list from 81 user interviews conducted by Trusting […]
Polarizing, oversimplified reporting causes mistrust. Let’s work on that.
Journalists’ use of catch-all phrases, generalized descriptions and labels can make people feel oversimplified and placed into one-size-fits-all categories. This can be true for organizations people belong to, for religious groups, for different opinions, for causes people support, for racial groups, for age groups, for ethnic groups, etc. Rather than painting complex, nuanced pictures of […]
Create an effective “About Us” page
This step-by-step guide walks newsrooms through creating an effective “About us” page that will help them earn trust and demonstrate transparency.
‘More complete and relatable:’ What research finds about how a TV newsroom can earn trust on air
Research by Trusting News and the Center for Media Engagement found that TV newsrooms can build trust with their audiences by explaining why a story is covered.
Trust Tip 33: If you get something wrong, explain yourself
Trust Tip 32: Transparency sidebars can be quick and easy
Trust Tip 31: When you’re right and other news outlets are wrong, tell your audience
Trust Tip 30: Use social media profiles to communicate trustworthiness
Trust Tip 28: Explain who writes an editorial (and who doesn’t)
Trust Tip 26: Reporters, explain your purpose
Trust Tip 25: Explain how you tried to reach a source
Trust tip 24: Ask for feedback regularly
Trust Tip 23: Create an Ethics Landing Page
Trust Tip 22: If you publish a graphic image, explain why
Trust Tip 21: Create a handout about your newsroom
Trust Tip 20: Explain your word choices
Trust Tip 19: Use labels for investigations, fact-checks and feature stories
Today’s trust tip: Clearly label opinion content
Today’s trust tip: Make it clear that you report on solutions, not just problems
Today’s trust tip: Talk about the cost of journalism
Trust Tip 14: Address “fake news” complaints
Trust Tip 13: Don’t talk about the boring parts of your work
Trust Tip 12: Get started with these three questions
Trust Tip 11: Explain how breaking news works
Trust Tip 10: If you strive for fairness, tell your audience
Trust Tip 9: Talk about your ownership
Discussing Sports Coverage in Facebook Comments
Using Facebook LIVE to Fact Check
WCNC Fact-checks a Viral Post on Social Media
Tone Matters in Facebook Comments
Address Fake News Concerns by Reporting On the Topic
Using Facebook Comments to Defend Your Journalism
WCPO Uses Facebook Comments to Ask for Feedback
ENID Uses Facebook to Introduce New Columnists
Jefferson City Uses Newspaper Page Layout to Demonstrate Balance
Jefferson City Shows Balance with an Editor’s Note
USA TODAY Uses Twitter to Share Opposing Viewpoints
USA TODAY Use Facebook to Bring Opposing Viewpoints to Users
Discussing Selection of Editorial Content on Facebook
Discussing Use of Anonymous Sources on Twitter
USA TODAY Discuss Covering Mass Shootings
Using a Newsletter to Highlight Solutions Journalism
Using Facebook to Highlight Solutions Journalism
Using Twitter to Highlight Solutions in Your Journalism
Focusing on Solutions at Alaska Public Media
CALMatters Discusses Why News Matters
Labeling Opinion Content on Facebook
Label Your Content: Entertainment Coverage
The Coloradoan Addresses Paywall
Trust Tip 8: Explain how you cover suicide
CALmatters Uses Twitter to Ask for Donations
WCPO Discusses Corporate Ownership
The Gazette Discusses Independent Ownership
The Day Discusses Nonprofit Arm
Explaining Outside Funding Support
Coloradoan Discussing Sponsored Coverage
Trust tip 7: Moderate comments on the conversations you host
Trust Tip 6: Explain your use of anonymous sources
Trust Tip 5: Show the breadth of your journalism
Trust Tips 4: Use Direct Language
“Explain your process” box improves perceptions of news organization
A new study from the Center for Media Engagement at the University of Texas at Austin found adding a box explaining your story process can improve a user’s perceptions of a news organization. The research was done on behalf of Trusting News and completed this month. The goal of the testing was to see whether adding explanations […]