Start Earning Trust

Are you ready to build trust with the people you aim to serve?

 

Here’s how Trusting News can help:

    • Subscribe to our newsletter. Our Trust Tips newsletter provides one quick, actionable tip for earning trust each Tuesday. See highlights and sign up here.
    • Search our newsroom example database. We have hundreds of examples showing how newsrooms are using trust strategies in their journalism. Use our database to get inspired and start building trust in your newsroom.
    • Check out our resources page. It includes step-by-step guides, suggested language to use in your journalism, video explanations, research highlights and more. 
    • Contact us for quick advice. If you or your newsroom has a specific challenge, goal or project related to building (or rebuilding) trust or want advice on how to respond to users criticizing your values or ethics, email us at info@TrustingNews.org. We can offer support and resources via email or can set up a call if our capacity allows. (As part of a commitment to diversity, Trusting News sets aside time to support both journalists of color and newsrooms focused on building trust with communities of color. If that applies to you, please note that when contacting us.)
    • Learn how to build trust on your own time. In partnership with Poynter, Trusting News has a free, self-paced course where you’ll learn what news audiences don’t understand about how journalism works and look for opportunities to demonstrate credibility by explaining news processes, coverage goals and journalism ethics. (There is an international version too!)
    • Apply to participate in a future Trust 101 training. It’s a free, online course in which you will develop a customized plan for earning trust in your own work, with individualized feedback from the Trusting News team. Learn more and sign up to be alerted when we’re taking applications.
    • Apply for the Newsroom Partner Program. Throughout the year we accept applications from newsrooms looking to commit to adding trust-building strategies into their journalism. The support lasts for specified periods of time, involves regular meetings with Trusting News and a commitment from the newsroom to publicly talk about their news values and ethics, while engaging with their community. Learn more here. 
    • Ask us to train your newsroom or speak to your group. Reach out for options and rates at info@TrustingNews.org.

Where to begin 

At Trusting News, we identify things news audiences don’t understand about how journalism works and look for potential opportunities to demonstrate credibility by explaining news processes, coverage goals and journalism ethics.

Here are some ways you can get started. 

First:

Accept that earning trust is part of your job as a journalist. It doesn’t matter if you are a reporter, engagement editor or a photographer. If we each don’t tell people how news works, who will? 

Next:

Understand mistrust. Use this research deck to gain a better understanding of what trust in news looks like in the U.S. and use these tips to get a better understanding of what your community thinks about your work.

Finally:

Work to be more transparent, more engaged and more open with your users by doing the following:

1. Be part of the conversation. In the partisan world we live in, you know you will likely receive criticisms and accusations about your news coverage. Are you ready to respond? More importantly, are you prepared to engage with your audience by asking and listening to their feedback?

2. Correct the misunderstandings that drive some attitudes toward journalism. Most non-journalists don’t know how journalists do their jobs. And why should they? We historically haven’t done a great job of explaining it. Learn how to correct misassumptions about journalism while building trust in your work.

3. Tell your own story. You’re part of “the media” but don’t need to let that define you. Trust in “the media” is low and in some cases, there may be good reasons for that. But, you’re part of “the media” too, right? And you produce honest, ethical, trustworthy content, right? Learn how to differentiate your journalism from the rest and build trust in the process.

4.  Get credit for ethics and fairness behind your news coverage. Journalists have ethics? No way? As a journalist, you know how hard you work to be fair and ethical, but do your users? Probably not. Learn how you can discuss your ethics and fairness with your users.

5. Retain subscriptions and thrive financially. Journalism costs money. We know that, but do our users? Do they know why supporting you is important to the communities you serve? Talking about your value is an important way to build trust.