In pursuit of a more news-literate journalism

This post is in celebration of National News Literacy Week, which is hosted in partnership between The News Literacy Project and the E.W. Scripps Company. It also is meant to encourage journalists to participate in a nationwide study of journalists’ news literacy and the ways they’ve come to learn about it. The survey is available at the end of this post.

My headline isn’t meant to be as provocative as it may seem. Yes, some will read it and balk at the idea that journalism is anything but news literate. News literacy is, after all, an understanding of journalistic norms and practices.

That understanding of news literacy is traditionally relegated to audiences. In some spaces, such as the Stony Brook Center for News Literacy, to be news literate means to act like a journalist. It is to build a more resilient appreciation of the news.

More from Trusting News: Tips for building news literacy into your journalism

At the same time, others (the team of Melissa Tully, University of Iowa; Emily Vraga, University of Minnesota; Stephanie Craft, University of Illinois; Seth Ashley, Boise State University; and Adam Maksl, Indiana University Southeast) are working to develop a more holistic approach to news literacy, one that considers both creation and consumption. I believe in both approaches, but I write this post from the latter's perspective.

But where do journalists fit into this equation? If we are telling audiences to be more like journalists, yet our journalism has become more cosmopolitan in its approach, who do we want audiences to be most like?

We are at a critical junction, and countless others echo my argument. However, one of the most essential moves journalism must make to combat political and economic uncertainties or trust and security issues (for more, read Carlson, Robinson, and Lewis’s News After Trump) is to look in the mirror. Journalism must become more news literate. Journalism must become more critical of itself and its norms, ethics, and practices.

Being self-reflective means journalists are practicing news literacy. They are becoming more critical of their context, creation, content, circulation and consumption. It also means journalists become more effective models for audiences. An openness to self-reflection is also a way for journalists to enhance their transparency. By explaining what they are doing and why they are doing it, journalists are inviting audiences to be critical of their practice with them. And this partnership is the beginning of a wonderful relationship grounded in news literacy.

To be more news literate, journalists need to challenge one another to do the following:

• Provide a space for open dialogue with audiences about the social, legal and economic environments news is produced.
• Share the critical processes of news production, such as how journalists report and produce content, fact-check information and engage with audiences.
• Explain different story types journalists use and how the journalists go about creating that content.
• Promote transparency related to news distribution, algorithms, and how circulation impacts news practice.
• Build relationships that reflect equity and care and consider how diverse audiences are exposed to news content.

By doing this, journalists can continue to be watchdogs but do so with an eye toward equity, care, and relationship-building — three core purposes of Trusting News' work. And while each seemingly reflects ways to educate audiences better about news practices, they are also ways for journalists to be critical of their practice. Journalists are some of the most outstanding educators in the world, now it’s time to show why by showing what we do and how we do it.

If we want to win back the trust of our audiences, then becoming more news literate in our practices is imperative.

Asking journalists to be more news literate also means thinking about how we train journalists to act as such. In my work, I focus my time and attention on education — both formal classrooms and newsroom professional development. I believe we can improve the news literacy of journalists and their audiences by focusing attention on both. And if we are going to make better journalism, it's time to turn our attention to the news literacy practices of the journalists themselves. I’m doing that work, it is just a matter of who is willing to join me.

Strengthening journalism's news literacy isn’t easy, but you can help by participating in this survey for journalists. The survey will take approximately 20 minutes to complete and is for journalists to share their knowledge on news literacy, journalism education and professionalization of values and practices. This survey is only for journalists to participate in.

More resources from Trusting News Team

Here are some tips and resources on how journalists can help their audience become more news literate and better understand how news works.

• How journalists can help their users become smarter news consumers
• Help your audience navigate the news
• 5 tips for building news literacy into your journalism
• How to talk about journalism with your friends and family

If you want additional help or resources, reach out to our team on Twitter or email at info@trustingnews.org.

At Trusting News, we learn how people decide what news to trust and turn that knowledge into actionable strategies for journalists. We train and empower journalists to take responsibility for demonstrating credibility and actively earning trust through transparency and engagement. We’re co-hosted by the Reynolds Journalism Institute and the American Press Institute. Subscribe to our Trust Tips newsletter. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Read more about our work at TrustingNews.org.