The most recent Gallup poll on trust in journalism reflects the damage done over four years of relentless attacks on “mainstream media” by then-President Trump and many Republican office holders. Conducted in September, the survey found that overall just a…
By Deborah Potter. There’s some good news from newsrooms around the world. More journalists than ever are making it a habit to fact-check information and to ensure that they communicate securely. The International Center for Journalists survey of technology in…
By Deborah Potter. So that didn’t go well. A six-month project by the Society of Professional Journalists to address media distrust in Casper, Wyoming, failed to move the needle. At regular Tuesday meetings, SPJ heard well-worn complaints from political conservatives…
By Deborah Potter. After more than a year of work, a commission supported by the Knight Foundation has offered recommendations for dealing with what it calls “a crisis of trust.” The suggestions are aimed at online services, educators, individuals and,…
By Deborah Potter. Op-ed. Anonymous source. Commentary. Journalists know what these terms mean but many Americans don’t. A recent survey found the vast majority of Americans sometimes confuse factual statements with opinion, especially if they happen to agree with the…
There’s nothing new about “fake news” and it’s always circulated faster than the real thing. Want proof? There’s recorded history of “dubious information” collected to smear the Emperor Justinian in the 6th century! In 1835, the New York Sun newspaper…
by Deborah Potter. Most established news organizations have fretted for years about how to remain economically viable in the face of the advertising implosion that has drastically cut their revenue. Newsroom start-ups don’t have the same worries; they have concerns…
Multiple efforts are underway to figure out what makes people trust or distrust the news and what would increase public confidence in journalism. Here are some whose work we’ve been following. Trusting News A project of the Reynolds Journalism Institute…
By Matt Skillman. On November 3, 1948, the Chicago Tribune made one of the most memorable journalistic errors ever. One of the Tribune’s veteran political analysts predicted the defeat of Harry Truman during the presidential election. Truman won. More recently,…
By Madeline Broom. The journalism industry has been talking about the lack of diversity in newsrooms for years and making only some progress. Now, the need to rebuild public trust could provide a new incentive to actually diversify newsroom staffs.…
