In 2018 and 2019, I had the great privilege of serving on the Knight Commission on Trust, Media & Democracy, a joint initiative of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Aspen Institute. I was invited to reflect on the Commission’s work and recommendations in a talk to the California News Publishers Association. Here’s what I shared:

One of the most frightening conversations I’ve had in my career was with a dear friend who had a secret to share.

She told me that she had been feeling down in the dumps lately, so she took the advice of a friend of hers who happened to be a psychologist. Several weeks after following that advice, she said, her mood brightened significantly.

The treatment was simple. It didn’t involve anti-depressant drugs, counseling or shock therapy. It wasn’t even one of those miracle herbal cures touted on late-night TV.

Best of all, the cure for her ills was painless – and it didn’t cost a dime. In fact, it even saved her money.

She was so excited that she couldn’t stop talking about it. But I wish she would.

The secret to her positive mood swing was a “news fast,” a term that describes a period of avoiding Web surfing, television newscasts and newspapers because the content is, well, too depressing.

Folks like Andrew Weil M.D., a holistic health guru, suggest that constant exposure to negative news can have an adverse impact on one’s mood, potentially aggravating already present feelings of sadness and depression.

To add insult to injury, my wife came home one day, told me all about it and said that Oprah Winfrey even recommended it.

For me, THAT was depressing.

It was depressing because I’ve made the practice of journalism my life’s work, dating back to starting a class newspaper in the third grade. I was drawn to journalism, both then and now, because of its power to give voice to people who don’t have them, to be a watchdog of the public interest and to serve as a check on civic institutions.

Today, I believe journalism, indeed, America, faces a challenge that will take enormous energy and effort to overcome.

I’m talking about the growing lack of trust in democratic institutions and, even more troubling, a lack of trust in those individuals positioned to work on our behalf.

Now, there are times when that distrust is justified: A clergy member accused of misconduct and abuse, a journalist caught fabricating sources, an elected official caught in a lie.

These examples have always been with us – indeed, politicians, journalists and members of the clergy are human, and as humans, we all make mistakes.

Today, however, what seems like a crisis of distrust is aided and abetted by people using social networks and other tools of modern communication to exploit the last layer of those we trust even more – our friends and family members.

The advent of bad actors using the people closest to us to spread disinformation and lies has the potential to pull us apart even further.

Into this breach waded twenty-seven people convened by The Aspen Institute and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation – a group now known as the Knight Commission on Trust, Media and Democracy.

I’m proud to have been a part of that Commission and even more proud to give you a high-level view of our recommendations. I’ll then dive in to one specific recommendation that has significant implications for publishers as we seek to derive more revenue from the consumers of the news and information content we produce.

The entire report can be found via the websites of the Aspen Institute and the Knight Foundation, and I commend it to your attention.

Much or our discussion centered around the issue of transparency, and more specifically the idea that transparency breeds trust.

At my core, I’m a community news editor most familiar with places like Camarillo, Palm Springs, Redding and Salinas, newsrooms I work with in my corporate role with Gannett and the USA TODAY Network, and the three communities where I occupied the role of Editor: Akron, Ohio, Evansville, Indiana and Tallahassee, Florida.

As a reporter and editor, I learned the hard way that trust had to be earned every day through complete, comprehensive and fair local news coverage. We had to be accurate, and when we weren’t, we had to quickly and publicly own up to our mistakes. I felt then and still believe today that to know a local journalist is to trust one.

This is the perspective I brought to the Commission, and it is from this vantage point that I’d like to take a deep dive into one of our major recommendations for news organizations – the concept of radical transparency.

About 13 years ago I was leading the newsroom at the Akron Beacon Journal when one of our local columnists came to me with a sensitive story. He’d been spending time on a new social networking platform called MySpace, and he was appalled at what he saw: High school students posting pictures of drug and alcohol use, massive parties when parents were out of town – you know, the same stuff some of us did long before the advent of the internet.

Now, our columnist didn’t want to ‘out’ these kids for bad behavior, but he did want to send a message that when you put something out there, it literally is there for the world to see.

So we prepared a story explaining how these new social networks function, and included some identifying information – notably, the schools some of these students went to. The package also included tips for parents on how to talk with their kids about these new platforms that were just coming on to the scene.

I realized my phone and e-mail would be lit up with complaining readers, so I wrote a column to accompany the story explaining what we did, why we did it and the questions we weighed as we prepared the article before publication.

We then posted the story, along with my column, on our website and published both in print the next morning.

Instead of criticism, we received a wave of understanding, support and gratitude for helping parents have important conversations with their children.

That, in a nutshell, is radical transparency in action. The Commission believes that in order to rebuild trust in the media, news organizations need to embark on what would seem to be the radical practice of routinely explaining what we do and how we do it.

All too often, we assume that the public understands how we practice journalism. For example, some of my colleagues believe that displaying a writer’s name and photo atop an online story signifies that they are writing opinion or commentary, even when that label is not used.

Other news organizations liberally utilize anonymous sources but fail to explain why that source is seeking protection from public disclosure.

In both cases, news industry practices that have become common and automatic do less to inform citizens and more to sow seeds of distrust.

The Commission urges leaders of organizations that report and distribute news to adopt common standards and best practices that promote transparency.

They include clearly labeling fact-based journalism and opinion; clearly communicating standards on corrections, fact-checking and anonymous sources – and avoiding the use of advertising formats that blur the line between content and commerce.

In addition, the Commission urges news organizations to engage more deeply with citizens and communities, building two-way communication between journalists and the audiences they serve to improve the quality and relevance of news reporting.

Tom Friedman of the New York Times once said that if you really want to get through to people as a journalist, you first have to open their ears, and the best way to open their ears is to first open your own … show them the respect of listening. He said it’s amazing what they will say after that, and it is amazing what you might learn.

The benefits of greater – indeed, radical, transparency are clear – and backed up by real-world examples from advocates such as the Trusting News Project at the Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri. Let me share a few of those benefits from the Commission report:

• Transparency provides a means for holding news organizations more accountable for the accuracy and fairness of their content;
• It encourages high standards in reporting by revealing more about how that reporting is conducted;
• It gives audiences the opportunity to discover and explore additional information that might otherwise be hidden in reporters’ notebooks, files or cameras;
• And it gives audiences a better understanding of who journalists are and how they operate.

Aside from the change we would like to see in the relationship between news organizations and the audiences they serve, we would be remiss if we didn’t reinforce that government, at all levels, has a corresponding responsibility to be transparent about their actions and methods.

In short, greater transparency across the worlds of journalism and government will reinforce a role that I believe we all embrace – that of being a civic or public servant. But I’d be lying to you if I didn’t say that accomplishing this goal takes work.

Back in my own newsroom, I had to anticipate the questions readers would have before they were asked – and address them as directly as I could.

That was the same approach my colleagues at USA TODAY utilized in another case of radical transparency – when it published an unprecedented first-person account from a writer on the impact of her mother’s suicide.

News organizations typically avoid writing about suicide, saying it is too personal a topic. Yet suicide rates have increased by a third over the past 20 years, leading to what some would suggest is a national public health crisis.

Amid our determination to tell the writer’s personal story of coping with suicide in full, we consulted with experts, connected with suicide survivors and explained to readers what we were doing and why we were doing it.

We created a survivors Facebook group to facilitate conversations and told the stories of others who came forward to share their experiences.

The result was an outpouring of support for those affected by suicide and, we hope, increased awareness of its impact. John Draper, director of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, wrote USA TODAY hours after publication saying that he believed the stories would “save lives and that they need to be read, far and wide.”

That, to me, is one of the greatest benefits of an open, transparent approach to journalistic practice: One that gives us the courage to tackle uncomfortable subjects in ways that save lives.

Thanks for being here today.

It’s been a great honor to serve as the 2016-2017 President of the American Society of News Editors. As I hand the gavel over to incoming President Alfredo Carbajal of the Dallas Morning News, I had the chance to share thoughts on the organization’s accomplishments over the past year.

https://newsleaders2017.wordpress.com/2017/09/25/outgoing-asne-president-mizell-stewart-iii-continuing-to-advocate-for-leaders-press-freedom/

We’re back!

I’m excited to announce that the groundbreaking Poynter-NABJ Leadership Academy for Diversity in Digital Media will be back for the second year.

We will be joined again by Poynter’s Butch Ward, digital media strategist Ju-Don Roberts, NABJ President Sarah Glover and an all-star cast of visiting faculty members, including Rashida Jones of NBC Universal, USA TODAY Network colleagues Russ Torres and Tim Wong and the amazing Amanda Zamora of the Texas Tribune. For more details and information on how to apply, visit Poynter.org.

Column by Mizell Stewart III, President, American Society of News Editors; published in USA TODAY, March 12, 2017

Rita Ward had a question: Why did a weekly listing of causes of death suddenly stop appearing in the local newspaper?

It turned out the health department in Vanderburgh County, Ind., halted its practice of providing causes of death to the Evansville Courier & Press. When Ward and a reporter for the newspaper asked why those records were no longer available, the department cited an Indiana law intended to protect citizens against identity theft.

“I truly do believe printing the cause of death is important,” Ward told the Courier & Press in a 2012 interview. “Maybe a reader might see a neighbor who died of colon cancer and make the decision to have their first overdue colonoscopy. It can be a first step toward a change for the better. It can touch a reader. It’s personal. That’s why it is important.”

Ward and the newspaper sued for access to the information under Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act. They lost two lower court rulings before the Indiana Supreme Court ruled in 2014 that the records, focused on the decedent’s name, age and cause of death, should continue to be made available to the public. In their ruling, the judges underscored “the importance of open and transparent government to the health of our body politic” and held that “the public interest outweighs the private.”

The court’s explicit link between government transparency and the welfare of citizens underpins Sunshine Week, a national, non-partisan effort to highlight the critical role of open government and freedom of information at the local, state and federal levels. The Sunday-Saturday celebration is led by the American Society of News Editors and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, with support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Gridiron Club and Foundation.

Now, more than ever, Americans are urged to recognize the importance of open government to a robust democracy. Access to meetings, minutes and records of our elected and appointed representatives — and to those officials themselves — is a key element of the constitutional right to petition the government for redress of grievances. It is not strictly for the benefit of the news media.

That is true whether the fight is for transparency from local governments or the White House. The Obama administration promised to be the most open ever, but it punished whistle-blowers harshly. In the Trump administration, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson plans to travel without a press pool on his first trip to Asia.

In addition to ordinary citizens such as Rita Ward, access to government information helps citizen groups hold public officials accountable through firsthand observation of their actions. Access also enables historians to accurately describe past events and gives individuals critical information on public safety in the neighborhoods where they live.

Recently, the National Park Service, fulfilling a request under the Freedom of Information Act, provided aerial photographs that showed a sharp contrast between crowds on the National Mall for the inauguration of President Trump and those who turned out for the first inauguration of President Obama.

Despite public statements by Trump and White House spokesman Sean Spicer that crowds for Trump dwarfed those of Obama, the photos — not the words of government officials — told the full story.

In addition to state laws in Indiana and across the country, the Freedom of Information Act gives citizens the right to obtain information from the federal government — information that your tax dollars paid to collect. In addition, more and more local governments are leveraging technology to make public information, from traffic data to public transit schedules, even more accessible and more useful to citizens.

This week and every week, take a moment to consider what your life would be like if government officials operated in total secrecy and restricted your access to information. Support organizations fighting against those in power who seek to weaken open government protections. Join with fellow citizens in seeking disclosure. When you want information from a police department, local government or school board, ask for it.

Just like Rita Ward learned in the Indiana death records case, you have the right to know.

I’m enormously proud to take the reins as President of the American Society of News Editors. Here is the text of my opening address to members at the 2016 ASNE-APME-APPM News Leadership Conference in Philadelphia, Pa. 

John S. Knight, builder of one of the most respected and influential news companies in American journalism, once said, “There is no higher or better title than editor.”

Elbert Hubbard, an early 20^th-century writer, once defined the role of an editor as a person employed by a newspaper whose business is to separate the wheat from the chaff and to see that the chaff is printed.

Today, editors have to be so much more.

We lead storytelling across multiple dimensions: narrative writing, video, still photography and data visualization.

We deliver it on multiple platforms: mobile, desktop, social media, print, virtual reality and even over-the-top television.

We analyze audiences and plot strategies for growth.

We collaborate with colleagues across disciplines to grow audience and revenue.

We are chief content officers, news directors, content strategists and story coaches.

We juggle priorities in ways never imagined by John S. Knight and his forebears. Although our titles and responsibilities might be different, our collective mission is not. We uphold and defend First Amendment freedoms and tell stories that others will not tell.

Walter Williams, who was the dean of the journalism school at the University of Missouri, offered these words at the dawn of the 20^th century about the profession I have made my life’s work. I’d like to share them with you today:

I believe in the profession of journalism.

I believe that the public journal is a public trust — that all connected with it are, to the full measure of responsibility, trustees for the public; that acceptance of lesser service than the public service is a betrayal of this trust.

I believe that clear thinking, clear statement, accuracy and fairness are fundamental to good journalism.

I believe that a journalist should write only what he holds in his heart to be true. I believe that suppression of the news, for any consideration other than the welfare of society, is indefensible. 

I believe that the journalism which succeeds the best fears God and honors man; is stoutly independent; is unmoved by pride of opinion or greed of power; is constructive, tolerant but never careless, self-controlled, patient, respectful of its readers but always unafraid, is quickly indignant at injustice; is unswayed by the appeal of the privileged or the clamor of the mob; seeks to give every man a chance — and as far as law, an honest wage and recognition of human brotherhood can make it so, an equal chance.

Those words are as true today as they were then. And they are the credo that guides my life and work.

Thirty-five years ago this summer, I walked into the newsroom of Sun Newspapers right outside Cleveland, marking my first foray into professional journalism. My career has carried me from that suburban weekly to reporting, editing and corporate leadership roles at some of the nation’s great news companies.

Today, I am honored and humbled to assume the presidency of the American Society of News Editors, an organization that has supported me from my days as a cub reporter. I find energy and inspiration in both the news of the day and a deeply-rooted desire to make our profession stronger, our newsrooms more connected to our audiences and our news staffs more representative of the communities we serve.

Let me take a moment to congratulate our newly-elected and appointed board members:

• Paul Cheung, The Associated Press
• Lucy Dalglish, University of Maryland
• Mandy Jenkins, Storyful
• David Haynes, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
• Karen Magnuson, Rochester (New York) Democrat and Chronicle
• Hollis Towns, Asbury Park Press
• Lauren Williams, Vox.com

My deepest thanks to our outgoing board members:

• Anders Gyllenhaal, The McClatchy Company
• Rene Sanchez, Minneapolis Star Tribune

My mission as president of ASNE, building on the successes of our immediate past President Pam Fine, is to employ all the tools at our disposal to help drive our organization, our members and our partners toward a bright and prosperous future.

I’ve learned a few things during more than three decades serving newsrooms and communities as diverse as Akron, Ohio, Evansville, Indiana, Tallahassee, Florida and, now, our entire nation through the USA TODAY Network.

I’ve learned we have so much more to accomplish when it comes to transforming the practice of journalism to meet the challenges posed by the shift of news consumers toward mobile, social and video platforms.

That’s why ASNE is committed to focusing our annual News Leadership Conference on innovation, multi-platform storytelling and audience engagement. As we announced earlier today, our 2017 joint conference with the Associated Press Media Editors and the Associated Press Photo Managers will be held adjacent to that of the Online News Association at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C.

I’ve learned we have much work to do to ensure that the makeup of the nation’s newsrooms reflect the communities they serve. That’s why ASNE is focusing its energy and resources on diversifying the leadership of U.S. newsrooms, including our successful Emerging Leaders Institute.

This model has been developed by ASNE Vice President Alfredo Carbajal and noted leadership development expert Jill Geisler. It has trained more than 400 mid-level leaders from organizations, including The Huffington Post, CNN, NPR and The New York Times in disciplines that will enable their rise to the top echelons of news organizations.

Our annual Newsroom Employment Diversity Survey will continue to evolve as a tool to measure newsroom diversity across every content platform and enable ASNE and its industry partners to focus on programs that help us demonstrate measurable progress toward this goal.

I’ve learned that our advocacy efforts on behalf of First Amendment freedoms and open government must be unwavering. Indeed, they must be strengthened and enhanced. Under Pam Fine’s leadership, we expanded our service to member news organizations by establishing a Legal Hotline led by ASNE General Counsel Kevin Goldberg. Every week, Kevin is on the front lines in Washington pushing for greater access to the inner workings of government. We are also working to attract new partners and bring new energy to our annual Sunshine Week celebration. Your annual investment in ASNE helps make this possible.

I’ve learned we also have much work to do to transform ASNE into a truly representative organization of America’s news leaders, and when I say news leaders, I say leaders at all levels, from those who aspire to leadership roles to those who have already arrived. To that end, let me once again welcome members of the Association of Opinion Journalists to full membership in the organization and to David Haynes, editorial page editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, to the ASNE Board of Directors.

In the coming weeks, we will announce a brand-new membership dues structure that not only incorporates opinion editors, but also a full range of digital news enterprises. The ASNE board has enthusiastically supported this strategy as critical to positioning us as the premier organization for news leaders. Let me also recognize our first two corporate partners, NPR and The McClatchy Company, for understanding the value of ASNE membership for their newsroom leaders.

Finally, I have learned that as a society, we are becoming more insulated from the world around us, less tolerant of our fellow citizens and the institutions many of us are a part of.

When it comes to seeking news and information, we are more likely to seek those points of view that reflect what we believe and less likely to seek out and understand points of view that differ from our own.

That’s why ASNE, through the leadership of past President Chris Peck, established the National Community and News Literacy Roundtables Project. Today, we are researching ways to scale that work to influence constructive dialogue and problem-solving in even more communities.

Tim Rutten, a columnist for the Los Angeles Times, said, “There is a long and painful history to teach us that when liberty of expression is suppressed, the public square does not become a silent place but one where the only sound is the voice of authority.”

In a democracy, the best idea wins, and one critical role of the press is to preserve, protect and defend the marketplace of ideas that makes our communities, our states and our nation strong.

We are grateful to our partners, from the Associated Press Media Editors to the Knight Foundation, the American Press Institute, the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, the Gates and Pyramid Peak Foundations, the Scripps Howard Foundation and many others for helping support ASNE’s important work.

I am honored, humbled and proud to serve as your ASNE president for 2016-17. Our new board of directors, officers and staff are committed to elevating our value, our programs and our impact, with one overarching goal: to help you more effectively lead the newsrooms and communities you serve.

Thank you.

Originally published on Poynter.org. Reposted with permission.

Pam Fine, president of the American Society of News Editors, moderated a great panel discussion on changing newsroom culture at the recent annual convention of the Newspaper Association of America. Panelists included Dave Harmon, Chief People Officer of Gannett, Bill Church, editor of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Sarasota Herald-Tribune, and myself. NAA posted a great recap of the session.