As AI images flood the internet, it’s important journalists get on the record about the legitimacy of their content
How do you know something is true? Bring your receipts
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Part of the challenge in today’s information climate is that facts can sound like opinion to some people, especially those who may have strong views about a subject or are believing dishonest sources of information. Some of those people hold tightly to ideas that aren’t true, and those people might not be reachable by your journalism.
But others are unsure what to believe. They might be more confused than they are hostile to facts. They’re looking for help sorting through all of the opinions and content they see and knowing what to believe.
That’s where journalists can come in. Acknowledging that gap — without validating falsehoods — can go a long way toward building trust with people who are skeptical. One way to do that is to bring your receipts.
What we mean by “bring your receipts”
Trust in your content can grow when you explain your conclusions, show your work and link to evidence early and often.
“Bring your receipts” means:
- Explaining why something is true
- Providing details and information, not just labeling something as true
- Linking directly to credible evidence consistently
You can do this by:
- Finding a strong, national summary of evidence from a source you trust (AP, PolitiFact, government audits, peer-reviewed research, etc.)
- Creating a timeless landing page that clearly summarizes the evidence related to the story
- Linking to the evidence every time your reporting references the contested or misunderstood claim (even better: make the evidence part of the sentence itself)
This approach helps audiences understand that your conclusion isn’t an opinion. It’s supported by documented facts they can check themselves.
Here are three examples of what it can look like.
The shooting of Alex Pretti
In coverage of the recent Minneapolis shooting where Alex Pretti was killed by federal agents, bystander video footage appears to conflict with official statements from federal authorities about what happened and why.
In a detailed, frame-by-frame analysis, The New York Times walks through how the events unfolded and shows what the videos actually depict, helping audiences see for themselves what the evidence shows.
Showing what happened, frame by frame, goes beyond stating the facts. The journalists provide visual evidence to explain what happens by showing them how we know. This type of reporting can be especially important when official statements and facts do not align.
Journalists anywhere can link to this page from any reference to the contradictory accounts of what happened. That’s a way to bring receipts.
Causes of climate change
The overwhelming majority of scientists agree that climate change is happening and is largely driven by human activity. The reality, though, is some people believe climate change is part of natural environmental cycles and the human role is exaggerated.
These views exist on a spectrum; they are not binary. Yet, many stories reference “human-caused climate change” without explaining why that conclusion exists.
Bringing your receipts in this case means regularly linking to summaries of the scientific consensus and explaining how that consensus was reached. Think of it like a Wikipedia entry, or an FAQ. If someone asks how we know humans are causing the planet to warm faster than it would otherwise, where would you send them?
The state of the economy
“How is the U.S. economy doing?” depends on which indicators you emphasize: inflation, unemployment, consumer spending, etc.
This alone makes it hard to keep up with the latest data. People can struggle to make sense of conflicting headlines. Linking to clear explanations of what each metric measures and why journalists choose to highlight certain metrics helps people keep up without feeling misled.
The New York Times has sometimes offered an effective moment-in-time explanation with graphics and explanations. What if that were a landing page, with key data routinely updated monthly?
Other topics where this approach could help:
- Vaccine safety
- Evidence of systemic racism
- The gender spectrum
- The teaching of critical race theory
- Immigration trends
- Crime statistics
Anywhere facts are contested or simply confusing, receipts matter.
When we understand where people are coming from, we can create better on ramps to help them understand information that’s new, unfamiliar or confusing for them. By helping people see the bigger picture, not just what happened today, and explaining how we know what we know, we provide clarity. That clarity can build trust.
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. Learn more about our work, vision and team. Subscribe to our Trust Tips newsletter. Follow us on Twitter, BlueSky and LinkedIn.
Assistant director Lynn Walsh (she/her) is an Emmy award-winning journalist who has worked in investigative journalism at the national level and locally in California, Ohio, Texas and Florida. She is the former Ethics Chair for the Society of Professional Journalists and a past national president for the organization. Based in San Diego, Lynn is also an adjunct professor and freelance journalist. She can be reached at lynn@TrustingNews.org and on Twitter @lwalsh.
