This spring, veteran National Public Radio editor Uri Berliner sent shock waves through the media industry with an essay titled “I’ve Been at NPR for 25 Years. Here’s How We Lost America’s Trust.” Conservatives – more than a quarter of NPR’s audience in 2011 – had stopped listening, he noted. Moreover, according to a poll, only 3 in 10 people found NPR “trustworthy.”
But NPR’s leadership rejected his critique, and he soon resigned.
Meanwhile, in a largely conservative swath of Pennsylvania, an NPR member station has been taking a more deliberate approach to addressing the trust deficit.
WITF, based in the state capital, is trying to engage with an ideologically diverse range of listeners through in-person events, on-air conversations, and a weekly newsletter that pulls back the curtain on journalistic ethics and decision-making.
The station stands out amid a growing movement nationwide, as traditional outlets grapple with both a crisis of trust in news and fewer resources to produce thoughtful, thorough coverage. Winning back trust in an increasingly polarized nation is a huge challenge. But if successful, it could help journalism become a greater force for good in local communities – and more financially sustainable.
Key to the station’s approach? Humility.
