Trust Project: Critically Evaluating the News
- 1. TrustIndicators: CriticallyEvaluatingtheNews Santa Clara University Library Image courtesy of Flickr user DeShaun Craddock
- 2. Objectives • Discuss quality of the news media • Identify “Trust Indicators” to evaluate news and other media • Analyze media sources • Critically evaluate the quality of sources Image courtesy of Flickr user Timothy Neesam
- 3. Warm Up Pair up with someone near you • Where do you really get your news from? • What do you look for to know if a news source is trustworthy? Image courtesy of Flickr user Dave Crosby
- 4. • Launched in 2014 • Project of the SCU Markkula Center, led by Sally Lehrman • Partner with news companies and search engines/social media companies • Developed “trust indicators” based on interviews with real people
- 5. Trust Indicators • Best Practices • Author/Reporter Expertise • Type of Work • Citations and References • Methods • Locally Sources • Diverse Voices • Actionable Feedback
- 6. Best Practices • What are the news outlet’s standards? • Who funds it? • Is there a mission statement? • Is there any information about commitments to ethics, diverse voices, accuracy, making corrections and other standards?
- 7. Author/Reporter Expertise • Who wrote this? • Can you find any relevant details or information about the journalist, their expertise, credentials, other stories they have worked on?
- 8. Type of Work • What is this? • Are there any labels to distinguish opinion, analysis and advertiser (or sponsored) content from news reports?
- 9. Citations and References • What are the sources? • For investigative or in- depth stories, is there access to the sources behind the facts and assertions?
- 10. Methods • How was this story built? • Also, for in-depth stories, is there information about why reporters chose to pursue a story and how they went about the process?
- 11. Locally Sourced • Do you know when the story has local origin or expertise? • Was the reporting done on the scene, with deep knowledge about the local situation or community?
- 12. Diverse Voices • What are the newsroom’s efforts and commitment to bringing in diverse perspectives? • Do you see certain voices, ethnicities, or political persuasions missing?
- 13. Actionable Feedback • Can readers participate? • Provide feedback that might alter or expand a story? • Is the newsroom making efforts to engage the public’s help in setting coverage priorities, contributing to the reporting process, ensuring accuracy? • Is contact information provided?
- 14. Group Exercise • Identify a source for news • As a group, select one article to use • Complete the worksheet for each of the trust indicators • Report back
- 15. Debrief • How many Trust Indicators were you able to find? • What indicator was the hardest to find/not found at all? • How might you apply this exercise to your everyday news consumption?
Editor's Notes
- #7: Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/policies-and-standards/?utm_term=.293b88cc27a6
- #8: Source: https://www.vox.com/authors/zeeshan-aleem
- #9: Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/05/opinion/italy-election-populist.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fopinion&action=click&contentCollection=opinion®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront
- #10: Note: I picked this one because it shows hyperlinks (in red) which I a more common way to “cite” with news sources now. Source: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/03/ben-carson-jared-kushner-and-the-new-rules-of-corruption
- #11: Source: http://variety.com/2017/biz/features/new-york-times-harvey-weinstein-report-megan-twohey-jodi-kantor-1202637948/
- #12: Source: https://www.propublica.org/article/first-responders-in-florida-not-covered-for-ptsd-that-may-change-after-parkland
- #13: Source: https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-politics/dreamers-activists-call-for-immigration-reform-on-daca-expiration-date/
- #14: Source: https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/articleComments/wild-turkeys-lurking-outside-east-bay-hospital-12729770.php