This week’s action: Add an element to a story that communicates the reporting process.
Trust in any source of news isn’t a given, according to the latest research from the Media Insight Project. This month we’re making the study, which surveyed both adults and teens as young as 13, actionable for local news leaders.
What the survey says: The majority of Americans say local news outlets and independent creators or influencers do similarly well at verifying and getting the facts right, being transparent and offering different opinions and viewpoints. There isn’t much difference in these responses across age groups.
When people evaluate creators, they say transparency around sponsored content (51%) and about the account’s mission or who is behind it (39%) are extremely or very important to them.
What it means for local news: In a fragmented media landscape, audiences use different techniques to evaluate what sources are credible. For creators, people look for clear indicators around funding, mission and identity. Local newsrooms should intentionally communicate how they do their journalism. If their newsroom standards aren’t visible, they can’t build credibility.
Try this
Start here: Choose one upcoming story from a topic area where credibility is especially important, such as elections, public safety or accountability reporting.
Take action: Add an element to the story that communicates the reporting process. This could be a Q&A with the reporter, a methodology box, a “how we reported this story” section or something else that helps audiences understand how the journalism is done.
Reflect: What had you been assuming your audience already knew about how journalism is done? Could you repeat this added element in similar coverage?
Dig deeper
- From the study: Local news, Strengths and weaknesses of news sources and Influencers and alternative media
- Trusting News’ Trust Kits, including day-to-day transparency
- What teens are saying about the content they trust — and how local news can engage them
- Building trust through strategic collaborations
