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While most people encounter the news on a regular — if not a daily — basis, the vast majority might go their entire lives without meeting a journalist. This is particularly true now, as the ranks of reporters continue to dwindle and local news outlets shut their doors.
Public relations and communications specialists outnumber journalists by an estimated ratio of six-to-one; they're better equipped and better financed. There are more fake news outlets now than real ones, and articles written by AI continue to flood social media. The potential for propaganda and misinformation in the United States has perhaps never been more present.
Because of this, it is more important than ever that members of the media earn the trust of our readers by being transparent about how we do our work. That includes explaining our reporting practices and ethical guidelines, how we handle fact-checking, corrections and conflicts of interest, and who is funding our organization.
It also means being able to take readers through the process of reporting a story. Where did the idea come from? Who did we speak to? What records did we review and how did we get them? What kind of data analysis did we do, and why? Think of it like the "methods" section of a scientific paper, with the reporting as "results."
This week, we're bringing you a behind-the-scenes look at some of the stories Monitor journalists reported this year. Thank you, as always, for your support. We truly could not do what we do without you.
See you in 2025!
— Kate |
