Transparency and trust are vital values
In this digital world of so much information — and too much misinformation — whom you choose to trust to provide you with news and information is a critical decision for citizens of Canada.
Earlier this year, the annual Edelman Trust Barometer told us that people throughout our country have “fake news anxiety” — with 65 per cent of Canadians concerned about false news being used as a weapon.
This very real fear is of particular concern for us in a year of provincial and municipal elections across Canada when credible information matters so much.
Increasingly, we need to be able to differentiate between fake news and real news. And both journalists and news organizations must play a role to help news consumers understand what responsible journalism in the public interest looks like.
We have been talking much about this matter here at the Star and throughout Torstar overall in recent months. With the launch this week of a national expansion of thestar.com in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Halifax, and the rebranding of Torstar’s free daily Metro newspapers as StarMetro in all of those cities, as well as Toronto, I want to update current and new readers on this news organization’s trust and transparency measures.
Let’s be clear about the terms that express Torstar values. In talking about trust, Torstar news organizations aim to deliver news and information that is credible, reliable and useful to customers’ daily lives. Transparency means showing our readers that we are honest and principled in what we do, how we do it and how we share it.
In talking about how these overall values are achieved, Torstar is committed to five core principles. Here are those factors that we believe are critical to a news organization dedicated to providing its readers with trusted news — which we define as news that is accountable, accurate and ethically produced.
A trusted news organization has easily viewable journalism standards and ethics, advertising terms, and information about the organization’s ownership. These are key transparency commitments. You can find all of this information in the “footer” area of thestar.com. While many news organizations concerned about building reader trust are only now moving to provide the public with their ethics codes, the Star has made this accessible for the past decade.
A trusted news organization corrects errors in a transparent manner on all platforms. Accuracy — and a commitment to correct when we get it wrong — is a key factor in reader trust. Newsrooms across Torstar are committed to correcting significant errors of fact in a clear, transparent manner on the platform(s) in which the error was published, as promptly as possible.
A trusted news organization makes clear the distinction between news and opinion content on all platforms. News content is based in verified fact; opinion content is based on perspective and judgment of facts. Our newsrooms guide readers in distinguishing between news and opinion by providing clear transparent labels on various forms of news and opinion content.
A trusted news organization provides a diversity of opinion on issues of public interest in news articles and opportunities for readers to express their views. Our newsrooms aim to serve their communities by providing a diversity of views and a variety of voices from within those communities. We encourage readers to express their opinions through letters to the editor.
A trusted news organization makes a clear distinction between editorial and advertising content on all platforms.
Our readers should not be confused about what is news and editorial content and what is paid content — the important advertising that funds journalism.
These are simple principles that form the foundation of trusted and transparent news and information. But, in the 24/7 deadline fray of reporting and presenting news and information, it’s a good bet that our newsrooms won’t always get it right. Mistakes happen.
That’s when I want to hear from you. The public editor’s office exists to explain journalism to readers — and more importantly — the concerns of readers to journalists.
When journalism falls short of our ideals, we will investigate, communicate with those involved across the company and take appropriate corrective measures when needed.
Kathy English is the Star’s public editor and based in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @kathyenglish