How to Rebuild Trust With Community Journalism
Who do you trust?
It's an important question. Some might say it's the most important.
Everything starts with trust.
Trust is the foundation of strong relationships, effective communication, and social stability. It enables cooperation, reduces uncertainty, and promotes a sense of security in personal, professional, and societal interactions.?
In business, trust is the foundation of customer loyalty, brand reputation, and sustained growth. A trusted brand attracts and retains customers, differentiates itself from competitors, and withstands market fluctuations.?
Earning trust requires consistency, honesty, and integrity in actions and words. It means showing up, following through on commitments, and being transparent, even when the truth is difficult.?
Trust is built over time through reliability, active listening, empathy, and demonstrating that you genuinely care about others' well-being.
Of course, trust is easier said than done.
Brands build trust with their customers with consistency, transparency, authenticity, a customer-centered approach, quality and reliability, social responsibility, security and privacy, and engagement and communication.
Trust drives word-of-mouth recommendations, repeat business, and resilience in times of crisis. Trust ensures a company’s longevity and impact.
Successful brands are successful because they deliver reliable products and services over time.
? They are open about their business practices, pricing, and decision-making.
? Stay true to their brand values and communicate honestly.
? Prioritize customer needs, listen to feedback, and respond effectively.
? Offer high-quality products and services that meet or exceed expectations.
? Demonstrate ethical behavior, sustainability efforts, and community engagement.
? Protect customer data and are clear about how it is used.?
? Maintain open dialogue through personalized interactions and strong customer support.
Without trust, even the best products or services struggle to maintain long-term success.?
Without trust, systems break down, relationships weaken, and progress becomes difficult to achieve.
The United States has a big trust problem, and it's been growing over the past few decades. Public trust in government, media, institutions, and even each other has been declining.?
People are increasingly distrustful of mainstream news sources, often perceiving them as biased or agenda-driven. The rise of misinformation, deepfakes, and social media echo chambers has further eroded confidence in factual reporting.
Surveys show Americans are less likely to trust their neighbors and fellow citizens than in past generations. A 2019 Pew survey found that only 30 percent of Americans believe "most people can be trusted," compared to about 50 percent in the 1970s.
Their 2022 report on trust and democracy found that many Americans have lower levels of confidence in many groups, including scientists, medical scientists, K-12 principals, and journalists.
Rebuilding trust in the U.S. is a complex challenge, but several forces can help reverse the decline.
We can start by strengthening civic engagement. We need to encourage local community involvement, volunteering, and participation in civic groups. This effort can help rebuild trust between neighbors, and service programs and community service can create a sense of shared purpose and build community.
With community journalism, we can create local media transparency and responsible journalism to hold the powerful accountable and create solutions.
All of this can happen at the local level in our own communities, towns, and cities, and restore trust.
It won't be easy, but people have more power than they think. Community journalism can harness that power through asset-based community development and lead the rebuilding of trust with these key steps.
When audiences see community journalism that values truth, listens, and acts in their best interest, credibility will grow. As credibility grows, communities can grow.
Community journalism can create a virtuous cycle of trust and strength.
This is how community journalism works.
? Identify a local issue.
? Investigate.
? Mobilize social capital (i.e., generate community support).
? Propose solutions.
? Hold power accountable.
? Create change.
? Make money (communities value solutions and will support solutions).
? Invest in the community.
The best journalism serves the community, and community journalism serves the community best of all.
The best part is anyone can practice community journalism.
The Strong Mind Strong Body Foundation started the Youth Community Journalism Institute to make journalism opportunities accessible to all communities.??
Conversaciones de Salud is putting a new intergenerational model of community journalism into practice. Conversaciones de Salud is a monthly digital and print magazine that provides health information for underserved communities in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the surrounding metro area. Conversaciones is led by Latino youth community journalists taking action for health, education, social justice, and economic wealth under the guidance of Carmen Robles, Cory Foss , and the Youth Community Journalism Institute.
Robles started Conversaciones de Salud as an e-newsletter in 2022. The magazine now has over 3,200 engaged monthly subscribers. Our Youth Community Journalism Institute has helped enhance Conversaciones de Salud's community engagement experience with the Latino community in the Twin Cities, and we are working together to develop a long-term sustainable business model.?
Now, the Youth Community Journalism Institute and Conversaciones de Salud are working with the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain to develop an interactive, intergenerational, multilingual community engagement program to advance the knowledge around brain health and community solutions for youth and families. The Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain is a research institute at the 美国明尼苏达大学双城分校 for university educators and researchers and M Health Fairview clinicians.
Our youth community journalism collaboration is called "Brain Solutions for All" and will bring together brain researchers, medical practitioners, health professionals, and community leaders to discuss current topics in neuroscience, psychology, pediatrics, public health, and education, with a focus on how research impacts real-world issues and community well-being. Our goal is to help young people understand the power of the brain to strengthen themselves and their communities. Aimed at underserved communities (Latino, Black, Indigenous, Asian, and immigrant) in Minneapolis, this project will produce a 3-episode video series, 3-episode podcast series, and 3 community solutions events on brain health. We will spotlight research from the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain in Minnesota and make brain research accessible, engaging, fun, and actionable.?
We are kicking off our Brain Solutions program with a mental health action festival on Thursday, May 15, 6-9 p.m. CT at the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain in Minneapolis (2025 E River Pkwy, Minneapolis, MN 55414) to strengthen underserved communities in Minneapolis and St. Paul. The event will be free and open to the public.
This intergenerational, community solutions-focused event will bring together mental health experts, community partners, and local youth and families from underserved communities (Latino, Black, Indigenous, Asian, immigrants, refugees, and rural populations) across the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota for food, music, fun, community development, and actionable mental health education. The focus of the festival will be on the importance of the brain and how the brain can strengthen individuals and their communities. Mental health experts, brain researchers, medical practitioners, health professionals, and community leaders will provide information, resources, and engaging programming on how to support mental health and healthy brain development. The goal of our event is to help people understand how they can put mental health knowledge into action that strengthens communities.?
Community journalism is the future of journalism. These types of partnerships, events, community engagement actions, and information sharing are the future of community journalism.
The future of journalism is the audience. It always has been. But a lot of media today is not meeting the needs of audiences or the communities they serve. While a 2024 Pew Research report found most U.S. adults (85 percent) value local news, The Pivot Fund's Minnesota local news landscape, a research project I led in 2024, discovered that almost 100 percent of underserved communities in the state (Black, Indigenous, Latino, Asian, immigrant, refugee communities, youth, and more) do not trust or engage with traditional local media.?
The crisis in journalism is a relationship problem. Audiences are treated as the endpoint rather than the beginning. The evolving and increasingly fragmented local news landscape demands innovative strategies that engage existing audiences and attract new and diverse communities.?
Every community needs trusted information about their community. Information is power, but today, not every community has the information they need to have power.
Our mission at the Youth Community Journalism Institute is to strengthen underserved communities through community journalism.
Trust is the fundamental issue or challenge in human relationships, communities, and society today. Many of our conflicts and uncertainties stem from a lack of trust in people and institutions.?
We need to rebuild trust and community with many communities that make up local audiences. Community-centered journalism can do this and is essential to civic health.
Community journalism can build trust the same way successful brands do.
People trust those who demonstrate knowledge, accuracy, and integrity.
Reliable reporting, clear messaging, and openness foster confidence.
People trust organizations that reflect their values and priorities.
Trust is earned when institutions acknowledge mistakes and correct them.
News organizations and brands that listen to and serve their communities build deeper trust.
Trust is an evolving relationship. It requires continuous effort and genuine engagement.
Global change starts at the grassroots level. A community-driven, community-centered, shared approach can build a stronger, more inclusive media ecosystem.
?? Listen to the community.
?? Identify information needs.
?? Understand information flows.
?? Build relationships and trust.
?? Collaborate.
?? Be inclusive.
???? Be constructive and solutions-oriented.
?? Use a variety of media.
?? Stay connected.
?? Maintain commitment.
Community journalism can create solutions for communities. When we create solutions for communities, we strengthen communities. When we strengthen communities, we build trust in communities.
When people see community journalism solving problems, strengthening their communities, and making their lives better, they will trust the process. They will value the process. And people support what they value and trust.
Community journalism can rebuild local news and rebuild communities. When more people trust journalism, they are more likely to engage with accurate information, distinguish fact from misinformation, and participate in civic life.?
We have a great opportunity to shape our future with community journalism. When we listen to communities and empower community, we can build a local news ecosystem that makes life better for all of us.
This is about more than strengthening journalism. It’s about rebuilding trust and creating solutions that rebuild community in America. One community at a time.
Love is the solution through community journalism. With empathy, compassion, genuine kindness, and care for one another, community journalism can rebuild trust. We can heal divisions. We can turn pain, fear, and trauma into power.
We can build community based on cooperative self-reliance.
We can create stronger, more connected communities and rebalance our world.
We can create a brighter future for everyone.
IT Engineering for Research and Outreach Enablement.
22 小时前Thank you for this! Trust is foundational - Your work with the Youth Community Journalism Institute and Conversaciones de Salud demonstrate how focusing on local voices and solutions can strengthen communities. I love how you're making brain health accessible through the 'Brain Solutions for All' initiative. This is exactly what we need right now.
Company Owner at White Cliffs Mobile Home Park
1 天前Eric, good morning. I think our problem is simply that the money controls. The strong have always dominated the weak but we have a position here now where the money is all powerful. It pollutes everything. Here in New Mexico none of our Representatives come to have an open house with us and tell us what's going on and ask us for our thoughts. So how can they represent us?