This Twitter thread from reporter Rebecca Powell at The Coloraodan is a great example of how a reporter can share the focus and mission behind their beat. It may seem simple, but explaining the basics behind your coverage — like what you cover, why it matters to you, and why it matters to the community — are things most people in the public wouldn't know. "I chose to step into this role becauseI think residents need to be informed about those decisions and how they are made in order to be empowered to act, so that's what I hope to provide," Powell wrote in the thread.

A recent episode from NPR’s Life Kit, How to Make a Better To-Do List, includes a disclosure that one of the team’s reporters/producers had been longtime friends with the CEO of a company they were interviewing. But the disclosure goes a step further than just acknowledging the relationship. It clarifies why this person was chosen for an interview – not because of their relationship with the producer, but because other staffers had used the product and found it helpful.  

“Before we go, an editorial note. We want to let you know Angel Trinidad, the founder and CEO of Passion Planner, and Life Kit reporter/producer Andee Tagle have been friends since college. But we asked Angel to share their experience with us, not because of this personal relationship, but because four other Life Kit staffers independently discovered passion planner and found it to be a really useful tool to help them manage their time,” host Marielle Segarra said. The disclosure is clear, casual and specific. We especially love that they take the extra step to explain how they’re working to make sure it doesn’t affect the integrity of their work, instead of leaving it up to users to make their own assumptions. 

When publishing an investigation about access to medicine, Swiss Info staff included multiple elements to help show transparnecy: a process box that explained why they were reporting the story; reporter bios at the top that had information and details about each reporter involved; and a feedback box, that invited the public to weigh in with their thoughts.

WCPO's News Director Mike Canan wrote a column explaining why more staff were working from home during the pandemic due to quarantine and possible COVID-19 exposures. "We have worked hard throughout the pandemic to keep our team safe. We do this because it is the right thing to do for our employees, but also because we feel a greater responsibility than ever to bring you the important news about what is happening in our community," Canan wrote.

WITF created expandable staff bios that appear with reporter bylines at the top of their online stories. A plus sign appears next to the reporter's name; when you click it, it shows the full staff bio which includes the reporter's credentials, work history, and how you can contact them. It also links to their other recent stories, showing the breadth of the station's coverage as well as the depth of the reporter's knowledge of certain topics.

When the Journal News didn't meet their own reporting standards while covering Trump's visit to Briarcliff, they owned up to their shortcoming while also explaining why they stood behind other parts of their reporting. "Thank you to multiple readers for calling us out," Mary Dolan, the executive editor, wrote. "We value your feedback and took immediate action to remove content that should not have published on lohud.com and that was promoted on our Facebook page."

Post Courier food reporter Hanna Raskin wrote a column about why, even a year after the pandemic started, they were still not writing restaurant reviews. Raskin explained that due to continued rising COVID-19 numbers, she didn't feel comfortable writing reviews telling people to go out to restaurants. "Perhaps when we’re a few months further into vaccinations and PPP loans, restaurant reviewing will be appropriate again. But not now. Not here," Raskin said. "Instead, the best I can tell you at this point is to support restaurants in every safe way you can. Assume they're all great."

The Record Searchlight reminded their audience that their journalists were local members of the community by publishing a column with reporter bios. The staff bios shared a photo, coverage topic as well as some of their favorite things about the area. "The Record Searchlight newsroom, as of this writing in March 2021, employs 10 journalists, and all of us live in Shasta County. Between us, we have 227 years of experience in journalism and 139 years of combined service at the Record Searchlight," the column read.

At the mark of her one year anniversary at the News & Observer, journalist Lucille Sherman used Twitter to highlight some of her best reporting, showing her audience the variety and depth of her reporting. "I'm so honored to have told these stories, plus many, many more, and it's a pleasure to cover #ncpol with a team of fabulous people. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else," Sherman wrote.

After receiving complaints about the weather report not being accurate, WCPO News Director Mike Canan addressed the complaints by explaining what makes their reporting credible. In the column, Canan addresses the process meteorologists use to predict the weather. "The point is our meteorologists are talented and experienced and they use science to make informed forecasts about what the weather might do hours or days from now," Canan wrote. "Those forecasts won’t be perfect. But they actually are incredibly accurate."

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."

After the attack on the U.S. Capitol, journalist Tim Lambert with WITF took to Facebook to defend and explain the station's work. "For the last dozen months, journalists were arrested, assaulted and shot with pepper spray while doing their jobs. Reporters endured a grueling, months-long newscycle by covering a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, protests and civil unrest, and an election that never seems to end," Lambert wrote. "No disinformation. No alternative reality. Our team will continue to pursue the truth and hold people accountable."

Staff at the Austin American-Statesman wrote a column thanking subscribers for their support during the pandemic, reminding their audience of all the work they had done in 2020 and sharing what they planned to cover in 2021. "In times like these, we are reminded why journalism matters. We see how reliable information can be a matter of life and death and how misinformation can do harm. We see how fragile our democracy can be and how we all must work to protect it," the column read. They finished the column by asking for continued support, as well as feedback for how the newsroom could better cover the community.

Staff at the Standard Times wrote a column about the newsroom's dedication to fair coverage going into a new year. The column also used the space to introduce each member of its staff with a photo and blurb about their experience and expertise.

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.

KPRC in Houston created online profiles for each of the station's reporters. Each bio included the reporter's credentials, as well as highlighted their personality, inviting people to get to know them as real people. Publishing short bios like these is an easy way to create trust and build credability with your audience. This work was done independently from Trusting News but embodies the work we do.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution created an "About" page that explains their mission statement, their ethics code, and how users can contact the newsroom. "Every day, we work to do something remarkable: inform and empower readers with real, rigorous, in-depth journalism. By providing this fundamental public service, we ultimately help build a better metro-Atlanta and Georgia for this generation and the next. Your support of local journalism really matters. Our journalists can keep you informed with real, fact-based news because of subscribers," the mission reads.

Asking for feedback can be a great way to let your audience know you're working to provide them with the best information. During Hurricane Dorian, reporter Eve Samples with the USATODAY Network sent out a weather newsletter to readers in nine markets in the southeast region. She included a survey in each newsletter and ended up receiving hundreds of positive responses from readers. Some of the feedback included: “What I am seeing here is very helpful” and “I feel a part of this community and your newspaper keeps me well informed. Thank you.” At the top of the next weather article, she reiterated the journalist’s commitment to the community and followed up by thanking readers for their feedback and comments USATODAY is a Trusting News partner but this work was done independently from Trusting News.

While speaking at an Athletes of the Year banquet, Timothy Dwyer, the publisher at The Day, discussed what the paper offers the community, explained it’s funding model, and invited people to support it financially. "Like any other local business, we need your support,” he said. Appearing at in-person events can help the community see the employees of a news organization (the journalists) as real people, which can help build trust.

WCPO anchor Kristen Swilley wrote a column explaining how, as an African-American woman, it was important to her to switch from straightening her hair to wearing it more naturally. She provided context about how historically, the industry hasn’t allowed women of color to wear their hair naturally, and how she was proud to work at a place that supported the change. First-person explanations like these can help quell audience assumptions while also reminding them that journalists are real people too.

The Day took to Facebook to share candid photos of staffers, as well as explain their coverage areas and provide contact information for their newsroom and journalists. A post featuring a long-time community reporter was especially popular, showing that readers truly value the paper’s commitment to local coverage.

The State highlighted reader’s responses by posting a roundup of people's comments and reactions to popular news stories that week. When the comment was a question about the facts of the news story or how the journalists put the story together, they answered them. Here is one of the responses provided: “Why did we write this story? The public scrutinizes so many aspects of candidates’ work and lives, and journalists make continual judgment calls about what information is interesting and relevant, and therefore worthy of coverage. Reader feedback about those judgment calls is always welcome.”

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.

When a reporter from the Christian Science Monitor visited South Korea for the Olympics, she wrote a touching personal observation. The news organization shared it in a newsletter, along with details on the reporter’s background that put her thoughts in context.

The Christian Science Monitor sat down with their global affairs correspondent to answer questions ranging from fun (What is your favorite meal?) to powerful (What makes your reporting distinct?). The answers were posted to Instagram Stories which gave them room to experiment and helped them reach a younger audience.

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. 

Are you a local reporter? Own it. A reporter at the Coloradoan took to Twitter to share her pride in covering stories that would otherwise go untold. As she wrote, “You won’t see a reporter from a national news outlet going door-to-door in your neighborhood most days.” Don’t be shy about sharing genuine pride and excitement.

If you want to hear more from your community, then ask. The State did this by designing and publishing a graphic with language that invited readers to submit questions and share feedback. After publishing, the newsroom reported seeing an increase in submissions of letters to the editor.

Taking readers behind the scenes can help with so many things: Showing a reporter’s personality and motivations, explaining how a story comes together, and providing context. Instagram Stories gave a Discourse reporter an easy and personable way to share her thoughts during a reporting trip.

Staff at the Corpus Christi Caller Times wrote a column thanking its readers for their support during 2020. In the column, they explained how subscriptions helped support the impactful work the newsroom staff had done. "For nearly 300 days, our local journalists have worked remotely to ensure we could still provide critical news during such a challenging year," the column read. "And while we’re not sure when we’ll be able to reunite in the newsroom yet, we're committed to covering stories that matter through 2021 and beyond."

WHYY reporter Sammy Caiola spent months doing targeted listening specifically in communities impacted by gun violence and then wrote an article about what she heard. Throughout the article, she does a great job tying in what the newsroom's mission is with this work, and shows humility and acknowledges how traditional reporting does harm. "Surface-level coverage of shootings can perpetuate harmful stereotypes about victims and perpetrators, and completely fail to address the historic economic and racial factors that contribute to the crisis," Caiola writes. "By focusing on the problem without highlighting any solutions, news media contributes to the sense of hopelessness that causes many Philadelphians to tune out of the gun violence conversation entirely."

Student news organization, the Red Line, published an "About" page that shows who is on staff and how you can read their work and contact them. It details who is in the different departments and then links to their Medium and social media profiles.

WITF's Tim Lambert took the time to introduce himself to their audience, sharing a behind-the-scenes photo of him reporting. In the caption, he gives his reporting background, lending credibility to his journalism while also sharing some personal details. "When I'm wearing my editor hat, I work with our journalists on deep dives and help them craft audio stories that are intimate and unique," Lambert writes. "New Cumberland has been my neighborhood since 2009, where I live with my wife, Amy, and our dog, Happy."