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Midwest Newsroom joins The Trust Project to make honest journalism easier to find

The KCUR-based investigative journalism collaboration is implementing "8 Trust Indicators" that are designed to help readers and viewers easily recognize trustworthy reporting.

In a strong stance against the flood of disinformation causing division and doubt, The Midwest Newsroom has implemented the Trust Project’s "8 Trust Indicators" to help readers and viewers easily recognize trustworthy news.

The NPR member station collaborative covering Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska joins hundreds of news outlets committed to socially responsible, transparent journalism.

“We’re proud of the Midwest Newsroom for joining the Trust Project,” said C.J. Janovy, director of content-journalism at KCUR, where the Midwest Newsroom is headquartered. “The journalists in the Midwest Newsroom bring incredible rigor and impeccable ethics to their work. Now, the public will have valuable insight into the newsroom's crucial investigative and in-depth reporting.”

The Midwest Newsroom underwent an extensive, nine-month process to implement the 8 Trust Indicators — strengthening policies, training staff and restructuring its site for transparency.

The 8 Trust Indicators are a widely accepted integrity and accountability standard developed by The Trust Project in collaboration with the public and news organizations worldwide.

The indicators help people know who and what is behind a given news story through disclosures about:

  • Best practices (standards and policies)
  • Journalist expertise
  • Type of work labels
  • References behind claims
  • Methods of reporting
  • Local expertise and sourcing
  • Diverse voices and perspectives
  • Actionable feedback (public engagement)

"Earning and keeping trust is a daily exercise for news organizations seeking to engage with and deliver for people who rely on us for information, insight and even delight," said Holly Edgell, The Midwest Newsroom's managing editor. "It's also an economic imperative. News organizations that fail to keep faith with the public suffer consequences at the bottom line. I am very proud that The Midwest Newsroom has joined the ranks of The Trust Project partners.

“We proudly welcome The Midwest News into the global Trust Project. Their commitment to accuracy, inclusion, impartiality and accountability underscores journalism’s vital role in every community — and throughout democracy,” said Sally Lehrman, founder and chief executive of the Trust Project. “Together, the Trust Project Network amplifies integrity-based journalism and slows the spread of false and misleading claims around the world.”

To learn more about The Trust Project and the 8 Trust Indicators, visit thetrustproject.org.

Karen Campbell is the Director of Institutional Giving & Communications for KCUR 89.3. You can reach her at karen@kcur.org.
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