How journalists can rebuild trust in the media and fight misinformation

The public’s trust in the news media is slipping. It’s not just a problem for newsrooms: researchers say trust is also dropping for science, higher education and government as well. According to a recent Gallup poll, a record 39% of Americans say they have no trust in the media at all. Declining trust in the media is an existential problem for newsrooms, as they try to figure out how to stay relevant - and solvent. But it's not just media organizations fighting declining trust. Pew Research Center has found declining levels of trust in government and science too. And with another consequential presidential election looming, the role of journalism has never been more important. On this episode we talk about how journalists can win back trust and help the public be better informed, Taylor Swift, the school kitty litter conspiracy, teaching people to think like fact checkers, and understanding the places where misinformation thrives. Joining the conversation: Joy Mayer, the founder and director of Trusting News, a project that researches news consumers and then helps journalists earn trust and demonstrate credibility, and Alex Mahadevan, director of Mediawise at Poynter.