Changing Journalism: Boosting Trust in the News Media. Joy Mayer

Feb 9, 2024

Joy Mayer, an expert in changing journalism and boosting trust in the news media, discusses bias, transparency, and constructive steps for newsrooms to improve their reputation. She emphasizes the need for self-awareness, transparency, and rewarding skepticism to build trust with the audience. The podcast also explores the challenges faced by local journalism and the importance of accurate information during the pandemic. Additionally, it delves into the lack of understanding between journalists and the public, highlighting the importance of diversity in newsrooms. The significance of feedback and building relationships between newsrooms and their community is also addressed.

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Introduction

00:00 • 3min

Building Trust and Improving Local News

02:30 • 11min

Understanding the Gap Between Journalists and the Public

13:58 • 5min

The Importance of Feedback and Building Relationships Between Newsrooms and Their Community

19:03 • 2min

Dark Winds: Native American Thriller and Crime Drama

21:31 • 6min

Only four-in-ten Americans say they have a lot of trust in the news media. That's a big problem for our democracy, especially in this volatile presidential election year. While journalists are supposed to tell the truth and get the story right, just 35% of right-of-center voters have some trust in what they see on the news.

Democrats and independents are much more likely to trust journalists, but Americans of almost all shades of opinion are skeptical of the journalists, not only questioning the quality of their work but the intentions behind it.

Our guest is Joy Mayer, Director of the non-profit group, Trusting News, which has partnered with many local newsrooms around the country to help journalists earn consumers' trust.

While many reporters, writers and editors are reluctant to discuss their politics, most journalists have liberal or progressive views. "I think it's something we need to talk about more openly," Joy tells us.

In this episode, we look at bias, transparency, and constructive steps that the newsrooms can take to improve their reputation with a broad cross-section of Americans.

We first recorded our interview with Joy in the late summer of 2021. Since then polling shows that the gulf between many journalists and their readers, listeners, and viewers is as wide as ever.

Americans of all political views are switching off the news. Audiences are shrinking for local TV stations, most newspapers and public radio, even as they release podcasts, email newsletters and other newer forms of content. Polling by Pew Research found that more than half of journalists surveyed say every side does not always deserve equal coverage in the news. But three-quarters of the public say journalists should always strive to give all sides equal coverage.

Recommendation: Richard has just finished watching the first two seasons of "Dark Winds", a TV thriller and crime drama set on a Navajo Indian reservation in the southwest. Almost all of the actors and crew are native americans. Richard says: "This series is beautiful, exciting and compelling. The acting is first rate The scenery alone is reason enough to watch it."

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