The Austin Statesman included a statement about their commitment to diversity and included it on the newsroom’s “About Us” page. The statement read: “When reporting a story, we seek out diversity of opinion to tell that story more completely. When provided with information from one source, we consider who might think differently or have additional information that could reveal a clearer picture. We fact-check what people tell us.” This work was done independently from Trusting News but embodies the work we do.
Have you ever tried to get in touch with a journalist you did not know personally? We do it all the time. Unfortunately, many news organization websites are so hard to navigate or out of date that searching for the journalist on Twitter or Facebook is much easier. Your audience members won’t be as persistent as we are. Rather than continuing to dig, calling the newsroom or emailing a general email address, they will give up and move on. More from this edition can be found here and to receive the tips in your inbox each week click here.
The Lenoir News-Topic implemented an internal social media policy so their reporters and editors would know how to interact with commenters. Commenting guides like these can help anyone in the newsroom feel equipped to jump in and respond to comments when necessary.
Screenshot from a Facebook post, discussing The Coloradoan's price increase.
Earning trust is everyone’s job, and sometimes that involves customer service. A change in the cost of digital subscriptions led to lots of customer service complaints at the Coloradoan. While it’s not the newsroom’s department and the journalists could have brushed off the calls coming in, they decided to step in and help. In total the team answered and responded to about 100 calls. The team tracked complaints and issues, then worked to resolve them one at a time. One of their subscribers said the newsroom’s ability and willingness to help increased her level of trust in the news organization.
When a snowstorm delayed the delivery of their newspaper, the Virginian-Pilot published a story to their website and social media channels explaining that there would/could be a delay in delivery. The post also linked to a digital version of the newspaper that people could view immediately.
When a snowstorm delayed the delivery of their newspaper, the Virginian-Pilot published a story to their website and social media channels explaining that there would/could be a delay in delivery. The post also linked to a digital version of the newspaper that people could view immediately.