Trust Project teams with influential news literacy partners
By now, you may have seen an ad on Microsoft news or Outlook surfaces reminding people what trustworthy news looks like. This nonpartisan campaign leverages our 8 Trust Indicators® to empower news users and strengthen democracy.
The Trust Project® developed this new campaign in partnership with some powerhouse players: the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA), the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public (CIP) and UW’s Accelerating Social Transformation (AST) leadership program. Pamela Killborn-Miller directs the partnership and Microsoft is supporting the campaign.
Through Trust Project research, we know that a large portion of the public is eager to learn how to choose ethical news with confidence. This group arose in our recent user interviews as people who feel a responsibility to keep up with issues and events, but are worried about being tricked by misinformation and fooled into sharing it. Trust Project CEO Sally Lehrman coined a term for them: the “anxious middle” – or more affirmatively, the “eager middle.” These are the people we are targeting with our campaign.
You also may have spotted the “circle R” we’re now using with the Indicators and our name. Yes, we’re proud to announce that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and other such agencies internationally have recognized that our name exclusively identifies our work and original invention in this area.
Our hope is to build capacity among millions of Americans to resist false “news”, build critical thinking skills and strengthen informed participation in civic life. You can share or download a news-literacy-friendly version of our 8 Trust Indicators® here.