Last Updated: July 28, 2000
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Credibility
Sessions, report look at credibility solutions
Test-site newspapers report back on their findings
after experimenting in the field with various ways of improving credibility
By Judy Pace Christie
After three years of research and experiments, the ASNE Journalism Credibility
Project has come up with some fairly simple messages for newsrooms.
Among them: Get the basics right, confess your mistakes. Explain what
you’re doing to readers.
Though these messages are simple to understand, it remains apparent
that they are much more difficult to make happen.
So, add to the findings: Don’t expect to fix stagnant or eroding credibility
in a few months.
And realize that there is not a formula for building reader trust. A
combination of approaches will be needed and will depend on the individual
newspaper and its readers.
Throughout the past year, the Journalism Credibility Project’s focus
has been on developing and testing solutions to build reader trust. The
project, a $1.2 million effort funded by the Robert R. McCormick Tribune
Foundation and eight test-site newspapers, started three years ago with
the hope of better understanding why newspaper credibility is eroding and
to find ways to stop the slide.
The results of the latest research were presented to the convention
with examples of what the test-site newspapers have done and feedback from
readers and newsroom staffs.
Guided by scientific research done in 1998 by Urban & Associates,
test-site newspapers tackled critical problem areas: improving accuracy,
addressing perceptions of bias or sensationalism in news coverage and communicating
respect for readers by explaining and discussing the editorial decision-making
process and better connecting with the community.
As the project wrapped up its third year, editors from the test sites
said they realized they must listen better, pay more attention to the basics
and let readers know that the newspaper is working to get better.
“The biggest lesson is a simple one: We need to be accessible to our
readers, to engage them in regular conversation about what we do, and accept
their criticism in an open and non-defensive way,” said Kathy Warbelow,
managing editor of the Austin (Texas) American-Statesman, a test-site newspaper.
Janet Weaver, executive editor of the Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune,
agreed that the hardest lesson is learning how to let go of defensiveness
and invite readers in, to listen to their comments without trying to argue
with them. She also mentioned the importance of the basics. “We recognized
that credibility isn’t just about the big stories, but about the details
— which are very important to our readers.”
Bob Stover, managing editor of Florida Today in Melbourne, also spoke
of the need to bring readers in and stressed selling the staff on the importance
of the credibility issue. “The most important thing you can do is put credibility
high on the list of priorities for each news staff member. You can make
great strides simply by making credibility a regular newsroom discussion
topic. Then you can build on that by setting specific credibility objectives
— such as trying to be more accurate.”
Reader panelists at the convention said they want their news to be fair
and accurate.
Patricia Carroll, an auditor with the Texas Department of Insurance
and a resident of Round Rock, Texas, said that she expects her newspaper
to offer an accurate, unbiased view of the people it reports about.
Marguerite Le, a teacher from Camden, N.J., said she hopes her newspaper
will go into every community and report on the lives of people with respect
and dignity and not as “novelty” articles.
Said Carroll: “If I pick up a newspaper and see myself inaccurately
portrayed in the press, the newspaper loses credibility with me. The newspaper
has the power to bring people together, instead of reinforcing biased perceptions
that keep us estranged from one another ... Newspapers build trust when
they really reflect the community and report on matters that all facets
of the community can embrace.”
Le agreed. “Cover lots of people. Cover them with sensitivity and respect.
If you do not, you are forming negative or stereotyped images of them in
the minds of the general public.” And, “have enough people on staff to
check the facts and to check on typos.”
Reporter Jason Hall from Sarasota told editors at the convention that
credibility needs to be part of everyday conversation in the newsroom,
not some special program journalists go to.
“If it’s agreed that newspapering is done in the newsroom — by reporters
and line editors — then it should be agreed that accuracy and credibility
are done there too. Editors should concentrate on doing what they’re paid
to do, which is hire good people and then let them work,” Hall said.
Researcher Christine D. Urban who conducted the research throughout
the project, said readers are willing to give newspapers credit for efforts
undertaken and like the initiatives they’ve seen so far.
However, she said, efforts must go further. This will take time; much
remains to be done to build reader trust. “Given no more than 18 months
between the two national surveys, it’s not surprising that there were no
major shifts in the structure of the public’s attitudes and perceptions
of the press,” her report said.
As the project research showed: “There’s no question that we share an
important goal with our readers. The credibility we want is what the public
wants us to have,” Urban said.
N. Christian Anderson III, 1999-2000 ASNE president, said that the practice
of good journalism day in and day out is at the heart of building newspaper
credibility.
“The work ASNE has done on credibility over the past three years reminds
us that we must constantly strive to meet our journalistic ideals, look
at our challenges through the eyes of others and be willing to show leadership
in the newsroom and in the community.”
Christie, the 1999-2000 chair of the Ethics and Values Committee,
is a consultant for Gannett.
