Joy Mayer TrustingNews.org

W O R R I E D A B O U T T R U S T ? D O S O M E T H I N G .

32%

HOW DO JOURNALISTS FEEL ABOUT THE PUBLIC’S LACK OF TRUST?

So many feelings. But the most problematic ones are helplessness and hopelessness.

HOW DO JOURNALISTS FEEL ABOUT THE PUBLIC’S LACK OF TRUST?

The problem is large. Time is short. Your staff is overwhelmed. What can you do?

TRUSTINGNEWS.ORG

We’re studying the cycle of trust. How do news consumers decide what to trust? How do they describe credible news? How does that change for different types of people? What do they say they want, and what do they actually want? What can journalists do in response to all that? (Today, preferably.)

TRUSTINGNEWS.ORG

How do people decide what to trust? We’re continually asking that question. We’ve worked with 44 newsrooms so far, from a range of sizes, geographies, mediums. — Research into what builds trust. — Social media experiments — 8,728 questionnaire responses — 81 in-depth user interviews — Starting more newsroom testing soon

TRUST FACTORS

Who trusts the news? — Liberal respondents were a lot more trusting than conservative respondents. — Compared to non-white respondents, white respondents were more trusting. — Female respondents were significantly more trusting than male respondents.

TRUST FACTORS

Financial support correlates with trust. — Overall, more than two-thirds of respondents indicate they provide financial support to at least one news organization. — Liberal respondents are more likely to both trust and pay for the news than conservative respondents. — White respondents are more likely to both trust and pay for the news than nonwhite respondents. — Older respondents are more likely to pay for the news, across politics and race.

QUOTES FROM YOUR AUDIENCE

People make assumptions about our motivations. Here are some quotes from our 81 in-depth user interviews. “Mainstream media, because of corporate status, have an agenda – they write the article to gain money, get advertising. It’s all about the money.”

QUOTES FROM YOUR AUDIENCE

Perceptions of fairness and bias are all over the place. "Journalists are trained in journalism schools to slant the news.” He likes that Fox includes someone representing both sides of an issue during most of their programming. He doesn't trust CNN, MSNBC, Time, and the NY Times. He thinks they're biased, and completely negative.

QUOTES FROM YOUR AUDIENCE

People want evidence of balance and transparency of motivation. “I would love to see a documentary inside a newsroom chronicling how a journalist makes a neutral story. People need to know if there’s something about them as journalists that improves the neutrality of their reporting. I’d love to sit, watch, listen and observe journalists.” Quality journalism includes multiple sources and opposing viewpoints. It also is ambitious in scope — it does not simply react to a single event. It provides context.”

QUOTES FROM YOUR AUDIENCE

Investing in trust improves trust. “He said his opinion of our organization went up somewhat by seeing the survey offered and by our offer to interview him.”

TRUST FACTORS

Much of what people say they want, many of us are doing. But they don’t realize we’re doing it. There’s an information void about US, and we’re not filling it.

TRUST FACTORS

We have an education problem. A storytelling problem, actually. Stop assuming people know what you’re offering them. Don’t let yourself be lumped in with “the media.” Learn to speak their language. Tell them why you’re worthy of their time, trust and support.

TRUST FACTORS

While we’re on the topic of “the media” … You know a lot of journalism is terrible, right? Acknowledge that first. Then explain why you’re different. BE SPECIFIC.

WHAT’S YOUR MESSAGE?

First, look at all the ways you talk to your audience (and potential audience). Text stories (print and online)

Newsletters

Columns

Standing web content (like policies)

On air

Podcasts

Social media

Marketing materials

Comments

In person

What are you sharing (besides content)?

WHAT’S YOUR MESSAGE?

Where do you already have your audience’s attention, and how can you make full use of it to earn trust? Be specific. Here’s what we’re doing TODAY to earn your trust.

STEAL THIS IDEA

Try injecting these four types of messages into your journalism. Like … alongside it. Within it. Not separate from it. Not a click away.

STEAL THIS IDEA

1. We’re distinct from “the media.” Differentiate yourself from the impersonal, generic, misunderstood cultural phenomenon. Communicate your values (and therefore your value). Look for chances to explain your motivation and your goals. Reflect what you know your community values, and demonstrate that you share those values. Also, show that you value their trust. That itself increases trust.

STEAL THIS IDEA

1. We’re distinct from “the media.” Say or show things like: We’re your neighbors. We’re rooted here. We’re in this together. We do this because … Our only agenda is to … We know you value this. We do, too. We invest in this type of reporting because ... We are here because ...

STEAL THIS IDEA

2. Describe your ethics and funding Do you have an ethics policy and funding model on your website? If so, awesome. Now go check for recent views on those pages. If people don’t know, they assume the worst. Find ways to inject relevant pieces of your story INTO and ALONGSIDE journalism. Even if they don’t remember the details or follow the link, they’ll remember that you were inviting attention around these topics.

STEAL THIS IDEA

2. Describe your ethics and funding Look for chances for the newsroom (not the marketing or sales department) to say: Here’s why we ask for your financial support. Here’s how our funding does or doesn’t influence our coverage. Here’s how we handle corrections (and how you can report an error). Here’s how we handle staff social media use. Here’s how we moderate conversation. Here’s how we check for accuracy.

STEAL THIS IDEA

3. Explain your process and demonstrate balance. People say they want to see evidence of thoughtful, fair, deep reporting. Give it to them. Explain why sources were (or weren’t) selected. We went beyond the people you usually hear from. Here’s why our reporting is fair and accurate. When we cover politics, here’s what motivates us. We know you want to hear from multiple sides of a story. That’s why we’re bringing you …

STEAL THIS IDEA

3. Explain your process and demonstrate balance. Our reporter spent most of last week tracking down … We went through a stack of documents, consulted researchers, conducted 12 interviews, went back and reviewed, etc. This is not about bragging. It’s about process and motivation and value. Point out your consistency. “Regular readers might remember our coverage of last month’s Clinton rally (link), which follows a similar format to today’s Trump coverage."

STEAL THIS IDEA

4. Show who you are, and be accessible. You don’t trust people you don’t understand or who are unresponsive to you. Publish author bios. Make it easy to find contact info for the newsroom and for specific staffers. Ask your audience … What needs more (or different) reporting? What do you want to know? Who should we be talking to?

STEAL THIS IDEA

4. Show who you are, and be accessible. Seek invitations to have your journalists visit community groups. Take responsibility for conversations. Stand up for civility, enforce your comment policy and answer questions. Reflect back what you hear. We heard from xx commenters, we got xx calls and emails about this, and here’s what you said. We’re following up on this story based on what we heard from you.

STEAL THIS IDEA

Some of these things might not feel comfortable to us, but they’re low risk. You know what else doesn’t feel comfortable? Only 32 percent of people trusting us.

STEAL THIS IDEA

We need another thing that doesn’t feel comfortable: redundancy. Keep telling your own story. Earning trust is a long game.

GET INVOLVED

TrustingNews.org — Results from social media experiments — DIY worksheets for your newsroom — A “Steal This Idea” tag Apply to be one of our partner newsrooms: bit.ly/testingtrust Questions? [email protected]

GET INVOLVED

Questions? [email protected]