Trusting News

Here are some helpful updates from our research partner Benjamin Toff on public perceptions of AI use by journalists. Check out our AI Trust Kit for our latest learnings and recommendations: https://lnkd.in/eWTGxcXy Two points to draw your attention to in this recent work: — Large segments of the public think news outlets are already frequently using AI but have low confidence in news media doing so.  — Most say disclosure is 'very important' to them. About half of all respondents say labels around the use of AI are essential even where reporters and editors remain involved in confirming the underlying information in AI-generated content. 

The news is ... exhausting. The public is exhausted consuming it. Journalists are exhausted producing it. But journalists can help people's news fatigue. Here's how. ⬇️ 🗞️ Help them develop habits around news Talk directly to your audience about ways they can be smart about their news consumption — of your product and others. Suggest newsletters, podcasts and other products that are thorough but not overwhelming. 🗣️ Empathize with their experience Acknowledge that the news is often overwhelming, depressing and hard to read. Have empathy, and encourage them to take breaks if needed. Let them know that you take breaks from the news (you do, right?) and they should too ☀️ Give permission to step away Let’s stop expecting people to get all the alerts on all the platforms. Instead, give your audience permission to step away from the news, and then help folks feel caught up when they do tune in. 💥 Explain how news impacts their lives As people make decisions and prioritize which news to consume, get specific about how certain topics you’re covering might impact them so people have an opportunity to prioritize. For more strategies and tips, check out our News Literacy Trust Kit -- a guide we created with The News Literacy Project that walks journalists through how to increase news literacy with their audiences. https://lnkd.in/gyVp6a2z

Disclosing a newsroom's connection or potential conflict of interest is important, but too many disclosures don't go far enough in explaining how that potential conflict is mitigated or addressed. Too often, the audience's potential questions or misassumptions aren't actually addressed. Here's an example from WUSF that does it well. They say not only that they have studios located on the campuses they're covering BUT ALSO that university executives do not review coverage prior to air. The entire disclosure is 9 seconds. For more strategies for earning trust on air, see this Trust Kit. https://lnkd.in/g8-PiBRR

Here are answers to some questions our team has gotten in the last few months. tl;dr: No, transparency won't solve all your trust problems. No, not all journalism is worth defending (but *yours* is, we hope). No, saying you're "independent" or "nonpartisan" doesn't mean enough unless you explain it. Yes, you should care deeply whether what you offer is relevant, useful and interesting (and you're not the ones who get to decide that). And yes, you need to double down on interviewing people across the political spectrum. https://lnkd.in/eTvrU6Dm

Seeing rumors swirl about ICE raids and immigration enforcement in your area? Take note of how KQED addressed mounting confusion in their community. ⬇️ 1. KQED addressed rumors about ICE officer and raids head-on, not letting their audience linger in confusion and fear. 2. They validate people’s fear and skepticism, acknowledging that it’s hard to tell what’s fact from rumor -- without shaming people for sharing misinformation. 3. They helped their audience find credible information for themselves, giving them tools to check whether information is legit or not. 4. The oulet targeted social platforms, sharing the information via Instagram Reels where they are likely to reach folks not already tuned into their coverage. We wrote more about how journalists can tackle immigration rumors and misinformation in this week's Trust Tips -- including when to *NOT* address misinformation. >> https://lnkd.in/gpMEXEZV

Too often, journalism amplifies extreme views and ignores more nuanced ones. It can stereotype people and reinforce the idea that people are split into political camps. So, what can you do? Start by asking these questions below. ⬇️ For more guidance, check out our Anti-Polarization Checklist -- a checklist designed to inject a pause button in the story editing process and help your content be seen as less polarizing. https://lnkd.in/gA9_BdMY

💡 How to Earn Audience Trust: A Conversation with Joy Mayer Despite increasing news avoidance, the founder of Trusting News says transparency, humility, and smart word choices can help newsrooms regain skeptical audiences. "Fundamentally, what we’re trying to get newsrooms to do is to think about the obstacles to trust. What is preventing people from accessing what you’re doing, from understanding what you’re doing, and from finding what you’re doing credible? The answers are not that complicated. Part of it is transparency — what do people not understand about what you do? And how are you explaining everything from your ethics, your funding, your corrections, how you decide what to cover, how you pick sources, and how you treat sources? Then there’s the engagement piece, which is being in continual contact with the people you aim to serve, and understanding what you’re getting wrong — which most newsrooms do not prioritize in a way that I consider meaningful. At the core of this is intellectual humility — a curiosity about who you’re not serving, who feels seen and understood by your journalism, and who feels neglected or misrepresented by your journalism, and what you’re willing to do to change that. I see intellectual engagement with those ideas much more than I see an institutional commitment to change based on those ideas." 🔗 : https://lnkd.in/ewTZiyEx

Congratulations to Trusting News board member Kristen Muller on this new role!

Journalists, do you know what people actually think about your coverage? At Trusting News, we’re big proponents of actively getting curious and listening to people’s experiences with the news outside of interviews with sources. Why? We know when journalists make the time to listen to community members it has a positive impact -- in one research study listening actually *increased* people’s likelihood to pay for news. When you’re able, we suggest fitting some basic questions about people's perceptions of news into your daily interactions. Those daily interactions might be: ✅ At the end of an interview with sources ✅ When you’re talking with friends and family about your job or the media ✅ In interactions in the community, whether at a coffee shop, taking an Uber ride, or attending a local event Some questions you can ask: ❓What are three things you wish were covered more? ❓What does news coverage often miss or get wrong about you, or about things in your life? ❓What kinds of stories or information about your local community would you like to see more of? Start small — maybe just ask one of these questions during your interviews for the next month. But, the more you prioritize understanding people’s perceptions and information needs, the richer and more relevant your work will be to the people you aim to serve.

The problem of trust impacts all journalists. But when you're on your own, what can you do to build trust and establish your credibility? In collaboration with the Society of Professional Journalists Freelance Community, we're hosting a training to walk you through how to build trust with your audience without the support of a newsroom. We'll talk about how you can: ✅  Earn trust with sources ✅  Establish your credibility ✅  Find fresh, engaging story ideas You’ll leave with actionable strategies and examples of how other independent journalists have done this work. Register here. ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/gtdfzFgM