Today's trust tip: Explain the life cycle of a news story

Hi there. Mollie here. 

One of the most common things we hear from newsrooms is their audiences don’t understand how news works. 

And why would they? The decisions newsrooms make about how stories get covered—like where a story idea comes from, who covers it, how reporters gather information, what kind of follow-up it deserves (if any), which sources are contacted —are essentially all invisible to the people who consume our coverage. 

At Trusting News, we talk a lot about how journalists should be explaining the why behind a story. Like why did you decide to cover one issue and not another, or prioritize this topic over another? (More on that here.) But it’s also important to explain how the reporting itself works. 

You’ve likely heard questions and complaints about why a story wasn’t updated faster, why it took you so long to publish information or why another news outlet might have covered a story but you didn’t. These questions typically stem from a lack of understanding of what goes into reporting a story. 

An easy way to get ahead of these types of questions or complaints is simply telling users what the process of reporting a news story looks like in your news organization. That means explaining it each step of the way.

Here’s how WCPO senior reporter Larry Seward walked their audience through the life cycle of a story, from the initial pitch to reporting to publication. 

In the column and on-air segment, Seward detailed:

• How reporters find story ideas. (The column also links to this helpful piece from WCPO's Mike Canan on how the station makes coverage decisions.)
• How these stories are vetted with station managers throughout the many different stages of the reporting process.  
• How content, especially breaking news, can change and update throughout the day. 
• How managers check stories to make sure they are clear, leave out personal bias and accurately represent the community. 

"Take any WCPO 9 news story and rewind it back to its beginning -- before we shoot a frame of video -- and you'll see reporters, managers and producers debating everything you are about to see and hear," Seward writes. 

While this explanation from WCPO is very comprehensive and impressive, we recognize that not every newsroom will have time to invest in an explanatory piece as detailed as this. But there are quicker lifts you can do to help simplify this process for your audience.

Here’s a look at how Marc Duvoisin, editor-in-chief at the San Antonio Express-News, wrote a quick Twitter thread to similarly explain how their staff got tipped off about a story and proceeded to report on it.

In five tweets, he briefly explains the cycle of the story, from receiving the news tip to how reporters gathered information to why they felt the story was important to report on in the first place.

This kind of information could easily be posted to other social media platforms, put on the top of the story as an editor’s note, included as a brief introduction during an on-air segment, or added as a blurb in a newsletter. 
 

What should you include?

Start with the basics: How did this story get chosen? Where did the idea come from? We see a lot of newsrooms face criticism around what they do and don’t cover, so try and get ahead of that by explaining where story ideas originate from and what the vetting process for ideas looks like. 

Explain the details: How did the reporter source their information? Who did they talk to (even those not named in the story)? How long did it take to do research? Was or will the story be updated? While this process is probably intuitive for you, remember you're explaining it to people who probably know very little about all that goes into reporting, so the more details you can lay out, the better.

Don’t forget your mission: What are your newsroom’s coverage priorities? Why do you think this story is something that’s important to those goals, and to your community? How do you work to keep your coverage fair? Even if you’re just giving a brief explanation, tie your decisions and explanations back to your mission and goals.

Apply for our next Trust 101 class

We’re currently accepting applications for our next Trust 101 course, which will focus on building trust with communities of color. In a four-week class, we’ll look at concrete steps newsrooms can take to build trust with communities of color. The class will run from Oct. 25-Nov. 19 and will be co-taught by Letrell Deshan Crittenden of Thomas Jefferson University. Newsroom colleagues should apply in pairs and should prepare to spend 3–4 hours per week, including attendance at four live class sessions. Want to apply? Fill out this form by Sept. 7.

Trusting News aims to demystify trust in news and empower journalists to take responsibility for actively demonstrating credibility and earning trust. It is a project of the Reynolds Journalism Institute and the American Press Institute.