How to build trust in news?
Citizens trust local news more than any other news source
Local journalists are trusted intermediaries, even for groups that have little trust in institutions, corporations, or large-scale mainstream media. 🔗
Problem
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Local journalists don’t have the time, tools or knowledge to counter disinformation in their communities
Local journalists don’t have the time, tools or knowledge to counter disinformation in their communities
User Opportunity
Local news has a large impact on how citizens interpret the news and what they believe
Value to democracy
Newspapers—especially small—perform an important watchdog role: acting as the public’s eyes and ears against those in power.
Newspapers—especially small—perform an important watchdog role: acting as the public’s eyes and ears against those in power.
Value to communities
Newspapers create community and help people feel more attached to where they live.
Newspapers create community and help people feel more attached to where they live.
Value to media ecosystems
Local newspaper’s grass-root original reporting plays a key role in national news ecosystems.
Local newspaper’s grass-root original reporting plays a key role in national news ecosystems.
User Pain Points
Disinfo might not be a priority for already struggling local newspapers
Lack of resources and time
The hyperlocal scale and fast pace at which they operate, local newscasters might have the time or resources to fact check local events as they unfold.
The hyperlocal scale and fast pace at which they operate, local newscasters might have the time or resources to fact check local events as they unfold.
Lack of political will
Disinfo often takes a political turn that local newscasters want to avoid dealing with.
Disinfo often takes a political turn that local newscasters want to avoid dealing with.
Vulnerable to bad actors
Dearth of local newspapers creates opportunity for disinfo - people posing as local news
Dearth of local newspapers creates opportunity for disinfo - people posing as local news
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Some speculative design solutions inspired by cross functional brainstorms to design collaborative tools for local newscasters to make it easier for them to identify, take action against and eventually prevent the spread of disinformation in their community.
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Community Fact Check
Local newscasters deal with hyperlocal events and fake news that haven’t been detected by fact checking orgs. Community Fact Check allows journalists to tap into a local network of experts to get timely insights for local news.
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Contextualize This
Seamlessly integrating the discovery of provenance and authenticity with desk research to help local newscasters working on tight timelines and limited resources.
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Disinfo Tracker
There might be a lower level of awareness amongst local newscasters about disinformation campaigns. Disinfo tracker analyzes trends in disinformation at a local and national level and gives local journalists an opportunity to get ahead of the rumor mill.
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