The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wrote a behind-the-scenes piece about their reporting on gun deaths that does a good job explaining the questions they are asking, the goals behind their coverage and how they sourced the story. "Can we do this project without any even subtle shaming of gun owners, but just tell their stories respectfully? This guided my approach to the reporting," reporter John Diedrich wrote. In the column, Diedrich also does a good job addressing ancitipated pushback the newsroom might receive, specifically around his reporting on suidice and including those numbers in his gun reporting.
The Boulder Reporting Lab included transparency in their reporting during an uncertain situation about a possible stabbing of a student. The story does a nice job explaining why this seemingly minor incident is actually important in the context of an upcoming election.
The Chicago Sun-Times just released a public-facing policy around the public’s right to be forgotten. It clearly lays out the newsroom’s process and policy around this, while acknowledging how the newsroom has caused harm but how they hope this will help remedy it. "At the Sun-Times, we don’t think it’s fair for stories about arrests to follow people around forever if they were never convicted or if charges were dropped or expunged. In recognition of the unintended harm that some of our work has caused, we want to be intentional about reviewing these articles and considering whether they should remain part of the searchable internet record," a column explaining the new policy reads.
After getting questions about why the newsroom used words like "alleged" when reporting on a specific crime, Chandler Boese, an audience producer at the Kansas City Star, used a TikTok video to explain why their journalists use phrases like "alleged", "accused of", or "charged with" when reporting on crimes. To their audience, this made it seem like the newsroom was taking sides, or pushing an agenda. But in the video, Boese efficiently explains it's just part of doing fair journalism and not saying something is true that has not yet been determined to be true. “We’re not casting doubt that a crime occurred, we’re just trying to give the person who is accused some presumption of innocence,” Boese says in the video. “The court system operates on innocent until proven guilty, and newspapers have to, too.” By explaining some of their reporting processes, it not only helps their audience better understand journalistic practices, but it also demonstrates that the newsroom is careful with its reporting process and thoughtful about its ethics.
When the San Diego Union Tribune's editorial board published an editorial, they included a sentence at the top explaining what the board is and how it's separate from the newsroom, but that it still has ethical standards. It reads: "The editorial board operates independently from the U-T newsroom but holds itself to similar ethical standards. We base our editorials and endorsements on reporting, interviews and rigorous debate, and strive for accuracy, fairness and civility in our section. Disagree? Let us know."
When the San Diego Union Tribune's editorial board published an editorial, they included a sentence at the top explaining what the board is and how it's separate from the newsroom, but that it still has ethical standards. It reads: "The editorial board operates independently from the U-T newsroom but holds itself to similar ethical standards. We base our editorials and endorsements on reporting, interviews and rigorous debate, and strive for accuracy, fairness and civility in our section. Disagree? Let us know."
Does your audience understand how you call elections? During the 2022 midterm elections, The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote a story explaining how they got election results, explaining what sources they used, how votes were counted and why it might take longer for election results to come in due to an increase of mail-in ballots. "The Inquirer has been covering the vote-counting process as it’s changed in recent years, and we talked to more than a dozen elections officials across the state to understand how they're running things this year. Here’s what we expect to see as results stream in on election night," the story reads.
During the 2022 midterm elections, the Times Union published a helpful FAQ about their election coverage. It addresses: What they do and do not cover, how everyone named in a story has the chance to comment, independence between editorials and news, and reporters' own biases. The guide wraps up asking their audience for feedback, letting them know they how they can get in touch if they have questions or concerns.
After updating their crime coverage guidelines, the Arizona Republic started using a story structure whenever following up on court cases to show consistency and transparency. They used the same structure: what happened, the background, why it's being reported -- and at the end, added "context lines" that linked back to their policy and guidelines.
After updating their crime coverage guidelines, the Arizona Republic started using a story structure whenever following up on court cases to show consistency and transparency. They used the same structure: what happened, the background, why it's being reported -- and at the end, added "context lines" that linked back to their policy and guidelines.
WUSF's election landing page provides links to all the information a voter in the area would need and lays it out in a clear, approachable manner. The page starts by laying out the newsroom's mission and goals of its election coverage, stating, "Our mission: To hear your concerns, answer your questions, and empower you with information before you cast your vote." The page also gives context of the importance of each race, shares how the newsroom plans to cover each race, and gives an opportunity for voters to weigh in with their questions and thoughts.
ABC10 published a survey asking for viewer questions and input ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. The survey included a blurb explaining why it was important for them to hear from the public, and asked viewers to explain what issues and races were important to them, showing that they cared about serving their community.
After receiving criticism about including a man's criminal background in a story about his death, WUFT staff added a transparency box to their story explaining why they felt it was necessary information to include. "We always want to tell the most complete stories we possibly can. That is why we also reached out to Mr. Lovett’s family members so that they could shed light on his life more recently. We have updated our story to reflect that," it reads. "We take seriously our responsibility as a news organization and will seek to continue to cover our community fairly, accurately and with compassion."
After receiving criticism about including a man's criminal background in a story about his death, WUFT staff added a transparnecy box to their story explaining why they felt it was necessary information to include. "We always want to tell the most complete stories we possibly can. That is why we also reached out to Mr. Lovett’s family members so that they could shed light on his life more recently. We have updated our story to reflect that," it reads. "We take seriously our responsibility as a news organization and will seek to continue to cover our community fairly, accurately and with compassion."
In 2022, the Texas Tribune created a great election landing page that explains what a user could expect from the newsroom's election coverage. The page details how readers inform their work, how they work to hold politicians accountable, and how they choose which races to cover.
Ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, Charlotteseville Tomorrow used a survey to see what people in their community wanted to know about and used that to influence their voting guide. In the final product, they break down the voting guide per district and clearly listed some basic election information, like key dates for voting and how to turn in your ballot.
In light of a lot of voter skepticism after the 2020 election, 11Alive created a series "Drawing Conclusions" where they follow a voter skeptical of Georgia’s 2020 election results. Throughout the series the reporter created graphics explaining the reporting process, including how they selected the individuals involved and how the Q&A sessions were handled.
There is a lot to explain when it comes to how journalists decide what photos and videos to publish. Some of those explanations can be pulled from newsroom policies or journalism ethics codes. But some of what is unknown to your audience can be best explained with a more personal touch, by having photojournalists talk about their role and their goals. Atlanta Journal-Constitution photojournalist John Spink did this by writing a column about what it’s like to document homicides. He explained that while he is close to the scenes of the deaths, he’s not as close as the police and other first responders. He said the work can feel like an “exercise in documenting police work” but can become emotionally charged quickly when friends or family are present.
Political polls are a lot to navigate. There are new ones being published continually, and sometimes they seem to contradict each other. That makes it hard to know which ones to trust, or if we should even bother paying attention. So how can journalists better explain polls to their audiences? The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published a column explaining why and how they conducted their own political poll. The column walks readers through the methodology, including how they conducted the poll, who they talked to, and why polling data can be limited. "Polling is not perfect, but it remains the most effective tool available for measuring public opinion. For every poll story, AJC reporters follow up with dozens of respondents to get a clearer picture of the results. Some of those respondents are quoted in our stories," it reads.
Susan Potter at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote a great Twitter thread that shared all the elements of an investigation they did about the 2020 Georgia elections. In one Tweet, Potter shares specifically WHY they did this story, writing, "It’s the AJC’s job to document the history of our state. It's also our job to shine a light on the actions of officials who worked to change the outcome of a historic election and sow suspicion that persists to this day about the integrity of elections in Ga."
Breaking news stories can lead to many questions from your audience–especially if early information turns out to be inaccurate. WITF proactively added an editor’s note to reassure readers that “we’ll only point to the best information we have at the time” and that any errors would be quickly corrected.
Radio station WITF included an explainer box alongside a story about local law enforcement officers joining an organization involved with the Jan. 6 capitol riots. The box explains how the reporters got and sorted the data, and WITF also linked to the box at the very top of the story and highlighted it in a different color, making sure that even casual readers who didn't read the whole story would still see the explanation.
The Seattle Times engagement editor Taylor Blatchford published a column explaining the news organization's approach to investigative journalism after asking readers what they wanted to know about the process. "Investigative reporting is time-consuming and can be wonky, involving documents, data and fact-checking, but readers only see the finished product. We want to pull back the curtain on the work that goes into our stories, so we asked readers what they wanted to know," Blatchford wrote.
After calling an election incorrectly, The Morning Call published a column explaining what happened and publicly acknowledged their mistake. They took readers through their process for how they call elections, illuminating how the mistake happened, and then stated how they would aim to do better in the future.
When faced with questions and accusations about why the newsroom didn't cover a local assault, Burlington Free Press editor Emilie Stigliani wrote a column explaining the newspaper's approach to crime coverage. The column accomplishes a few things: It gets on the record about the newsroom's approach to covering crime stories; it ties that approach to the newsroom's overall values and priorities; and it takes a one-to-one communication she had with a reader public, maximizing the impact of the time she spent responding to feedback.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution included an expandable explainer box in the middle of story about redistricting in Georgia discussing the newsroom's approach and commitment to covering the issue. The box also ties the approach back to the newsroom's goals with the coverage and gets into some specific around how journalists plan to cover the special legislative session. Part of the expandable box reads: "As journalists, our goal is to make sure you understand how these upcoming changes will impact who represents you and your voice. That’s why our reporters will be at the Capitol when the redistricting session gavels in, bringing you news of proposed maps, covering committee meetings, and explaining what the proposals and final product will mean for the 2022 elections and beyond."
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution included a box at the bottom of their mayoral race coverage explaining their coverage and how they decided which candidates to profile and which candidates they did not. They also included a link to another page that more fully explained the newsroom's election coverage and published the schedule of coverage, showing a lot of transparency with their readers.
Months after announcing a plan to change the paper's approach and limit the coverage the Cleveland Plain Dealer gave to horse race politics and instead focus on voter issues, editor Chris Quinn wrote a follow up. In the column, he talks through how they covered (or didn't cover) certain candidates, and how they planned to cover an upcoming mayoral race. "Racing around covering candidates as they try to outdo each other with stunts and outrageous statements is not helpful for the Cleveland voter. We're trying to produce content that might help people decide how to vote," Quinn wrote.
To be transparent with their users, it's important newsrooms address when they make changes to their policies and processes. The Day did this by writing a column about how they were shifting how they share police logs and mugshots with their digital audience. The column walked through the newsroom's decision making process, giving users a behind the scenes look at what ethics were considered in making the decision.
When the Reading Eagle changed their policy about publishing mugshots, they published a column explaining why they were making the change. "We can't control what people think or say, but there is no point in encouraging the sophomoric comments that crime stories tend to attract," editor Adam Richter wrote.
Argus Leader reporter Erin Bormett used Twitter to explain what a day in the life of a reporter looks like, detailing what her day looked like covering a tornado and its aftermath in South Dakota. She ended the thread asking for support: "We go to great lengths because we love the work, but we can't do the work without community support."
Argus Leader reporter Joe Sneve used Twitter to talk about the goals behind his approach to tracking down how many legislatures have contracted COVID-19 while hosting in-person sessions. "Every day, regular citizens interested in specific bills also come to the capitol to lobby their legislators. But when those lawmakers get sick with COVID-19, there's no guarantee the people they were in close contact with (aside from other lawmakers) are informed of the exposure," the Tweet reads. "That's why I spent time this week trying to track down how many new COVID cases among legislators there have been and the identity of those receiving a diagnosis. It's pretty much my least favorite thing to cover during session. But it matters because people deserve to know if they were exposed. And that's why despite drawing the ire of public officials and state employees, I continue to ask questions seeking that information."
The Chicago Tribune published updated guidelines around how the newsroom would publish mugshots. The column states that the newsroom wants to prioritize public safety, news judgment and compassionate coverage while also acknowledging inconsistencies in the criminal justice system that affect which mug shots are released and published online. "This decision has not been taken lightly, nor has it been made in a vacuum. We are looking at mug shots as we look at all our coverage. Our goal is to be as judicious, thoughtful and intentional as we can be about the journalism we publish and the stories we tell about Chicagoland," the column reads.
When newsrooms make significant policy changes, it's important to explain it to your audience. When the Bangor Daily News decided to change their policy on removing old crime stories from their website, they published a story explaining the change and why they're doing it. "Because of the overwhelming dominance of Google, past mistakes and transgressions live forever," the article reads. "Starting today, the Bangor Daily News will be taking requests to remove old crime stories from Google."
When a lawmaker asked to respond to an editorial calling for his resignation, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial team was transparent about the process and annotated his response to give users needed information and context. "After the Editorial Board called on Sen. Ron Johnson to either resign or be expelled from office for his role in spreading disinformation about the presidential election, the senator asked for space to respond. We are providing him that courtesy today. We also are taking the rare step of footnoting Johnson's commentary to provide additional context so that readers have a fuller understanding of the senator's actions," the editor's note states.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published an explainer page detailing how the newsroom would cover a contentious Atlanta mayoral race. The page includes: Their goals and mission for their election reporting, an explanation of how they are covering the races, the issues they're covering and why, and where they get their information when reporting. The page also had a great section explaining what the mayor and city council did, ensuring people understood the positions they were voting for.
The Christian Science Monitor reminded their audience of their mission during the coronavirus outbreak by asking for feedback in a simple Tweet that read: "The Christian Science Monitor is committed to covering the coronavirus pandemic. How are we doing? What coverage do you need right now? Let us know."
WCPO in Cinncinati wrote a column explaining how they were adjusting their programming so their journalists could practice safe social distancing. The column made clear how it would affect the work of their employees and the programming the audience would see. "Some of these changes might impact the quality of our newscasts or online news sources. They might not look as polished as they normally do, and we would always rather interview people in person," the column read. "But we are willing to make these sacrifices because we feel strongly that we need to do our part to prevent the spread of the virus and to keep our employees healthy."
WCPO in Cinncinati shared part of their reporting process with their audience by adding a line in their on-air coverage about how they were using video shot by the restaurant because they could not go inside due to COVID-19. "We can't bring you this story the traditional way we would," the anchor said. "La Soupe has asked us to stay out of their kitchen for obvious reasons, but they did offer to shoot video of food prep themselves, and that's what you'll be seeing in this story." The explanation flowed well with the story and did not disrupt the storytelling.
Jareen Imam, the Director of Social Newsgathering at NBC, shared a screenshot of their team meeting remotely during the coronavirus outbreak and prompted users to submit their questions. "How are you being affected by COVID-19? Whether you're a healthcare worker on the frontlines, a parent working from home, a recovering patient or a furloughed worker, @NBCNews Social Newsgathering team is working 24/7 to hear your stories and tips," the Tweet read. Not only does this build transparency, but it also reminds users that their journalists are real people who are part of their local communities, weathering this storm along with them.
WMAR-2 News in Baltimore wrote a story explaining how their programming would change to keep their newsroom and journalists safe during the COVID-19 outbreak. The station ended the column by asking for questions and news tips from the audience, saying: "We can't do this without you. Please tell us what is going on in your community." This work was done independently from Trusting News but embodies the work we do.
The Day in Connecticut made a video explaining why they were offering all their coronavirus coverage for free while reminding the audience of the need for their support. "While we're providing free access to these articles, they are not free to produce," the video stated. "The newsroom is working long hours to provide the news and information you need during this health emergency." The video went on to include directions on how to subscribe to the paper, as well as explained some of the benefits of subscribing, like being able to access the daily E-Newspaper.
Editor of the San Francisco Chronicle Audrey Cooper wrote a column telling their audience that while their journalists and entire news operation were working remotely, they were still just as committed to providing accurate, timely news to community. "It’s critical that we be there to make sure that you have the information you need to make decisions about what’s right for your family and for your community, " Cooper wrote. "Whether we are recording podcasts from under a sound-dulling blanket fort (yes, I did that), conducting interviews in a child’s closet among stuffed animals (as reporter Matthias Gafni did), or updating the live updates story while batting away a persistent cat (thanks, Lauren Hernández), we will do everything we can to ensure we provide you with the news now and well after the crisis is over."
The Coloradoan sent a newsletter to subscribers sharing their plan for how they were going to keep the community informed during the coronavirus pandemic. "This pandemic is a public health crisis the likes of which many of our journalists have never covered before," content strategies Jennifer Hefty wrote. "We are learning as we go and trying our best to provide critical information without spreading panic."
WEWS in Cleveland posted a column sharing why the station was focusing so much of its coverage on the coronavirus spread and addressed accustations from readers that they were stoking panic and fear in the community. "Balancing our coronavirus coverage in a way that attempts to reflect reality is something we’ve been discussing over here a lot. We’re quite aware that there’s a way to report this story that makes it sound like the world is coming to an end," Digital Director Joe Donatelli wrote. "Our focus right now is on reporting the overall impact, government management and the human element of this public health threat in a manner that raises public awareness." The post also discussed how social media algorithms can impact the type of news content you see in your social feeds.
WPCO in Cincinnati included an editor's note at the top of their Coronavirus coverage that shared their mission and goals for reporting on this pandemic with their audience. "With our coronavirus coverage, our goal is not to alarm you but to equip you with the information you need," the note read. "We will try to keep things in context and focus on helping you make decisions. See a list of resources and frequently asked questions at the end of this story."
As the coronavirus outbreak spread and the number of news updates increased, the Coloradoan reminded their audience of their mission to keep the public informed. They did this by putting an editor's note at the top of their coverage: "As the coronavirus outbreak continues to evolve, we don’t want you to panic. In fact, quite the opposite, " the note read. "That’s why the Coloradoan is committed to providing you with accurate, up-to-date information so you can make informed decisions on issues affecting you and the people you love." The editor's note also let readers know they were providing all content realted to the coronavirus for free as a community service, but they also directly asked readers to support their important work by subscribing to the paper.
The San Fransisco Chronicle reminded their readers of their commitment to serving their community by adding a bot, called the assigment editor, to their home page and some stories. The bot allows users to ask questions related to the Coronavirus pandemic. "Life in the Bay Area has been upended by the coronavirus pandemic," the prompt reads. "Tell us the questions you want answered, and the issues you think we should be investigating." The team can then use the responses to write stories or use the information to make coverage decisions.
During breaking news about a school shooting, staff at KPCC showed the breadth of their coverage by including a "How we're reporting on this box" at the end of the story, explaining which journalists reported each aspect of the story. This also helps build credibility with your audience by introducing individual reporters. This newsroom is a Trusting News partner but this work was done independently from Trusting News.
To be more transparent about where opinion content comes from and who's writing it, the editorial board at the Corpus Christi (Texas) Caller-Times put an editor's note at the top of an opinion piece noting that the state representative was invited to write the piece, and explained why. "We invited Rep. Jeff Leach, author of Proposition 4, to write this column in response to a column by the Center for Public Policy Priorities. The CPPP, which also wrote at our invitation, opposes the proposition, as do we," the board wrote.
KPRC 2 shared the station's guidelines on how they cover crime. By publishing these standards the station is able to link to this when future questions arise and can update it if their policy changes. "We want you to know that often the details of the story and crime dictate how we might approach covering an incident, so our approach may not always be the same in each case," the guidelines read.
The Standard-Examiner explained how they approach including mugshots in their crime reporting after a question about the issue came up on Facebook.
The Tennessean created a video to explain why their editorial board asked for a mayor’s resignation. The newsroom said it felt the video format added a lot of value to the message and they enjoyed being able to explain how and why the decision was made instead of just writing a column. The newsroom also went live on Facebook to explain their decision.
WUSA took time to highlight their coverage of stop and frisk laws in Washington, D.C. in their on-air broadcast. In highlighting their work, they also asked people to contact them if they have been stopped and frisked and then reminded their users: “our reporting is only as strong as the community we’re honored to serve.”
After creating a poll on Facebook about guns, the Standard-Examiner received a question about the words they were using to describe certain guns. The news organization explained why they were using certain terms (and the role the Associated Press played in that) and asked for feedback from users about the issue.
Want to know what types of stories your audience wants to see? Just ask them. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram used the hiring of a new investigative journalist to ask users “what are we missing?” The post, shared on Facebook and Twitter, invited users to share story ideas with the newsroom using a Google Form. As journalists we sometimes assume people know it’s OK to contact us but, that’s not always the case. A simple ask or invitation can go a long way.
The Tennessean went live on Facebook to explain why their editorial board asked for a mayor’s resignation. By going live on Facebook the journalists provided users a place to be heard and receive feedback. The newsroom also created a video to explain how and why the decision was made.
While sharing a crime story on Facebook, the Coloradoan received questions about how they approach covering crime stories. In the comments section of the Facebook post, the news organization explained their crime coverage policy and answered questions from users.
During the State of the Union address, WUSA’s Verify team fact-checked the speech as it happened — on Facebook Live. People were able to watch the team of journalists reacting to the speech and checking the President’s claims.
The State wanted to make sure all members of one of their Facebook groups understood their community guidelines. They also wanted to revisit the rules to clearly state what is allowed and what is not. Once they came up with the revised guidelines, they pinned the post to the top of the group. Here is what they posted: “The Buzz is a place on Facebook where those interested in South Carolina politics can discuss current events and related topics. We encourage thoughtful comments from a wide range of viewpoints and support passionate and respectful dialogue. We will not tolerate personal attacks, threats, obscenity, profanity, political campaigning or commercial promotion. Moderators maintain the right to remove violating comments and suspend or ban users when necessary.”
KCRG decided to explain to users how it was going to cover President Donald Trump’s use of profanity to describe some third-world countries. In the opinion piece, a news manager explains how they are going to cover the story differently than other media organizations, by focusing on the “why” and not the reactionary soundbites. This post allowed the newsroom to explain its news values and set itself apart from “the media,” a group that when lumped together can often be criticized and distrusted. KCRG also shared the post on Facebook and asked for feedback on how they chose to cover the story.
KCRG decided to explain to users how it was going to cover President Donald Trump’s use of profanity to describe some third-world countries. In the opinion piece, a news manager explains how they are going to cover the story differently than other media organizations, by focusing on the “why” and not the reactionary soundbites. This post allowed the newsroom to explain its news values and set itself apart from “the media,” a group that when lumped together can often be criticized and distrusted. KCRG also shared the post on Facebook and asked for feedback on how they chose to cover the story.
When sharing a story about someone who died by suicide on Facebook, the Coloradoan used the post as a way to explain their approach to covering suicides. The Facebook post read: “It’s the Coloradoan’s policy not to report on individual suicides unless the act is in a public place or involves a high-profile person, such as in this case. We felt it was important to report on this story to complete our coverage of the case and provide resources for those struggling with mental illness.” The news team did a good job responding to commenters in an appropriate tone and used national guidelines from the CDC to help explain their position.
By writing “Fact-check” into the headline of stories, the Coloradoan boosted credibility and helped readers know what to expect, both on-site and on social media. Stressing that the story started with reader questions led to several positive comments. One of those commenters said, “thanks for keeping it real, Coloradoan!”
Community Impact wanted to make sure its users understood how it was approaching primary election season. In a post on their website, they stressed how they will be reaching out to all candidates in contested races and would not be endorsing candidates. They also shared which races they would be covering. This post did not inspire negative comments from users, something that is rare for a political story.
Science News created an FAQ page sharing how they report on science stories, explaining everything from their sourcing process to how they fact-check stories. "Our standards and processes are essential to what we do, and we believe they should be as transparent and accessible as the stories we publish," the FAQ states. The top of the page also invites readers into the conversation by sharing how they can reach out with questions or suggestions.
Political polls are a lot to navigate. There are new ones being published continually, and sometimes they seem to contradict each other. That makes it hard to know which ones to trust, or if we should even bother paying attention. So how can journalists better explain polls to their audiences? The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published a column explaining why and how they conducted their own political poll. The column walks readers through the methodology, including how they conducted the poll, who they talked to, and why polling data can be limited. "Polling is not perfect, but it remains the most effective tool available for measuring public opinion. For every poll story, AJC reporters follow up with dozens of respondents to get a clearer picture of the results. Some of those respondents are quoted in our stories," it reads.
Does your audience understand how you call elections? During the 2022 midterm elections, the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote a story explaining how they got election results, explaining what sources they used, how votes were counted and why it might take longer for election results to come in due to an increase of mail-in ballots. "The Inquirer has been covering the vote-counting process as it’s changed in recent years, and we talked to more than a dozen elections officials across the state to understand how they're running things this year. Here’s what we expect to see as results stream in on election night," the story reads.
When reporting on the 2020 election and the Jan. 6 attack, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution included a note at the top of their related stories that linked to a longer explanation of how and why they covered this story. In each story they published about the topic, they linked to this explainer. "Between the Nov. 3 presidential election and Jan. 6, Georgia was at the center of the biggest election dispute of modern American history, " the editor note reads. "AJC reporters worked day and night for months to capture the election results and multiple recounts, allegations of fraud, investigations, legislative hearings, lawsuits, protests, rallies, press conferences. But it was not until significant time passed that the big picture of what happened began to emerge. And it is still emerging. How the story was reported."
During the 2022 midterm elections, the Times Union published a helpful FAQ about their election coverage. It addresses: What they do and do not cover, how everyone named in a story has the chance to comment, independence between editorials and news, and reporters' own biases. The guide wraps up asking their audience for feedback, letting them know they how they can get in touch if they have questions or concerns.
When publishing a timeline about what happened in Georgia during the 2020 elections, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution put a note up top that used careful language to explain how the accusations of voter fraud were unfounded and included some background information about how the newsroom compiled the information in the timeline. It reads: "Donald Trump and his supporters spent weeks trying to influence, and then overturn, the results of the November 2020 presidential election. They made allegations of voter fraud and sought to have state legislators - not voters - determine the winner, citing fraud allegations they said put the outcome of the election in doubt. To date, none of their allegations have been proved and investigators have found problems that might have affected only a handful of votes - not nearly enough to cast doubt on Joe Biden’s victory. What follows is a detailed timeline, compiled from interviews, government investigative documents, published news reports, books and memoirs that shows how this campaign played out in Georgia."
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution included a box at the bottom of their mayoral race coverage explaining their coverage and how they decided which candidates to profile and which candidates they did not. They also included a link to another page that more fully explained the newsroom's election coverage and published the schedule of coverage, showing a lot of transparency with their readers.
When 3 News Now in Oklahoma changed its mugshot policy, they wrote a column explaining why they were making the changes and sharing what their new policy was. The column reads: "It is not our policy to never show an accused person on our platforms. Instead, we are challenging ourselves to find an alternative to mugshots when a suspect image is needed. Even when our policy allows us to use a mugshot, we will make our best effort to use something else." To level up, the newsroom is linking back to this policy every time the newsroom uses (or doesn't use) someone's mugshot.
When publishing a big project about violence in the city, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution included clear language explaining their coverage goals and why they were focusing on this topic. In every story, they include a line linking to their longer explanation and they created a feedback loop by inviting the public to weigh in with their opinion. The page reads: "Today, our Opinion pages begin what we hope becomes an ongoing forum in which metro Atlantans can share ideas — and potential solutions — for the rise in crime that our city and region are now enduring. We believe Atlanta — which has led the way for the world on issues like civil rights — can likewise find ways to reduce violence. This idea was influenced in part by Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ formation of a new anti-violence advisory group. We believe our Opinion pages also can play a role in this civic task."
Months after announcing a plan to change the paper's approach and limit the coverage the Cleveland Plain Dealer gave to horse race politics and instead focus on voter issues, editor Chris Quinn wrote a follow up. In the column, he talks through how they covered (or didn't cover) certain candidates, and how they planned to cover an upcoming mayoral race. "Racing around covering candidates as they try to outdo each other with stunts and outrageous statements is not helpful for the Cleveland voter. We're trying to produce content that might help people decide how to vote," Quinn wrote.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published an explainer page detailing how the newsroom would cover a contentious Atlanta mayoral race. The page includes: Their goals and mission for their election reporting, an explanation of how they are covering the races, the issues they're covering and why, and where they get their information when reporting. The page also had a great section explaining what the mayor and city council did, ensuring people understood the positions they were voting for.
After calling an election incorrectly, The Morning Call published a column explaining what happened and publicly acknowledged their mistake. They took readers through their process for how they call elections, illuminating how the mistake happened, and then stated how they would aim to do better in the future.
There is a lot to explain when it comes to how journalists decide what photos and videos to publish. Some of those explanations can be pulled from newsroom policies or journalism ethics codes. But some of what is unknown to your audience can be best explained with a more personal touch, by having photojournalists talk about their role and their goals. Atlanta Journal-Constitution photojournalist John Spink did this by writing a column about what it’s like to document homicides. He explained that while he is close to the scenes of the deaths, he’s not as close as the police and other first responders. He said the work can feel like an “exercise in documenting police work” but can become emotionally charged quickly when friends or family are present.
The Seattle Times engagement editor Taylor Blatchford published a column explaining the news organization's approach to investigative journalism after asking readers what they wanted to know about the process. "Investigative reporting is time-consuming and can be wonky, involving documents, data and fact-checking, but readers only see the finished product. We want to pull back the curtain on the work that goes into our stories, so we asked readers what they wanted to know," Blatchford wrote.
When a tragic shooting happened during a July 4 parade in Chicago, The Chicago Sun Times made a difficult decision to run a photo of the shooting victims from the scene. Executive Editor Jennifer Kho wrote a column explaining why they ran the photo. "We believe that information about these shootings serves a strong public interest, and that an image — in this case — can convey far more information than any words," Kho said. Since it's likely the column got much less traffic than the actual news story itself, the Times also included a sentence about their decision in stories that used that photo, linking to this column explaining why they ran the photo.
When publishing an investigation in print, the Seattle Times ran a box alongside the story that included a Q&A with the reporter, diving into how they reported the story. They also attached the same box onto the bottom of their online story and highlighted it at the top of the story with an editor's note.
The Star Tribune has a very helpful feature built into their CMS that highlights certain terms and has accompanying popups that explain what each term means. For example in this investigation about housing rules, they highlight the terms single-family and multi-family housing. This aids with transparency and also helps ensure readers understand the elements of the story so they can read and understand the entire story.
After writing an investigation about a lawsuit involving a landlord, WCPO received a large response from people looking for help. Although they couldn't address each of these individually, they did include a note at the bottom of the stories explaining this and linking to additional resources and places where people could get help. It reads: "WCPO 9 hears from dozens of people each day requesting consumer help, and it is impossible for us to resolve all the complaints we get about local apartments in bad condition. Here's how we advise people who are concerned about the conditions in their rental homes."
The Seattle Times put out a request for reader questions about how they do investigative journalism. They ended up receiving dozens of questions and compiled them into an FAQ about the investigative beat that they continue to link back to when publishing other investigative stories.
ABC10 published a survey asking for viewer questions and input ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. The survey included a blurb explaining why it was important for them to hear from the public, and asked viewers to explain what issues and races were important to them, showing that they cared about serving their community.
WyoFile created a mission for their elections coverage, which defined their goals for their organization as well as their coverage plans and which races they were covering. It reads: "WyoFile is committed to ensuring that Wyomingites have the verifiable, factual information they need to participate effectively in civic life, including pertinent information about the candidates seeking public office in 2022, and the process by which they will be chosen."
In 2022, the Nevada Independent created an election landing page page that clearly explained why the midterm elections were important and how the election results may impact their users. The page also included basic election information, like how people can register to vote, important election dates, and what races and seats were up for election.
The Cleveland Observer helped their audience become more news literate by giving them tips on how to spot credible news ahead of an election cycle, including how to look for bias, transparency, and the the source of the article.