Like respect, trust takes time to build but can be lost in an instant.
Josh Stearns explains in this article from First Draft News that journalists working with eyewitness media need to understand how trust between a publisher and their audience can be both built and broken, as "trust is the foundation on which journalism is built".
He takes a look at a series of recent reports which highlight how passing on unverified media and sharing misinformation can erode trust between communities and newsrooms, as audiences expect verification to be an "integral part" of a journalist’s professional duty.
However, he explains that if mistakes are corrected quickly, public confidence in news increases, referencing how Kees Brants, one of the authors of “Rethinking Journalism: Trust and Participation in a Transformed News Landscape”, lists reliability, credibility and responsiveness as defining characteristics of trustworthy journalism.
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