Be Informed: How local news orgs are reaching skeptics

Being informed is a critical part of being an engaged citizen. Trusted sources of information are more important than ever, as they are key in helping citizens make informed decisions when it comes to discerning between, supporting and voting for people and policies that shape their lives.
Access to accurate information is more widely available now than ever before in history. But it’s also easier today, with so much content at our fingertips, to be influenced by misinformation, disinformation, and to give in to populist trends. An uninformed informed citizenry can be a serious threat to our democracy.
A watchdog free press, also known as the Fourth Estate, is an essential piece of a healthy democracy. But in 2024, many Americans disagree about where to access it and what news is accurate: only 32% of Americans report having a “great deal” or “a fair amount” of trust in the media.
Cue Joy Mayer, Founder and Director of the nonprofit project, Trusting News. Since 2016, the group has been equipping newsrooms with resources and training opportunities to earn trust and boost credibility among readers and viewers. Mayer and her colleagues work with groups all over the country, including the Community News Collaborative in Sarasota, FL and the Oklahoma Media Center, a consortium of news organizations in Oklahoma City, OK. The trainings that Trusting News and their partners provide help journalists listen to the community members that they serve, to better understand how news reporting is perceived and what can be done to build transparency and trust.
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#ACitizensGuidePBS
This is Episode 1 of "A Citizen's Guide to Preserving Democracy: The Series."
Series Description:
American democracy is under threat. Do you have what it takes to be a good citizen? Join Preserving Democracy as we dig into the ten habits of good citizens in a new digital series, A Citizen’s Guide to Preserving Democracy. Explore real-life examples of Americans who are striving to build a healthier democracy and who embody the spirit of a more informed and engaged citizenry… one person at a time.
Based on “The Bill of Obligations: Ten Habits of Good Citizens,” by author and diplomat Richard Haass and the feature-length PBS documentary, A Citizen's Guide to Preserving Democracy from The WNET Group’s Preserving Democracy initiative.
Series premiere: 5.8.24
Now streaming at pbs.org/preservingdemocracy
Funding for A Citizen’s Guide to Preserving Democracy digital series is provided by:
Kimberly Querrey
Dean Dakolias & Monique Cusson
Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation
Sue & Edgar Wachenheim III
Leslie & Ashish Bhutani
The Chang K. Park Foundation
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
The WNET Group’s Preserving Democracy, a public media initiative, receives principal support from:
The Chang K. Park Foundation
with additional major funding from:
William Ackman and Neri Oxman
Ronnie and Lawrence D. Ackman
The Dorothy Y. Pacella Fund
The Anderson Family Charitable Fund
Janet Prindle Seidler
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[@danzilthard.7248]

What a wonderful and informative video! As someone who has grown up as a liberal raised by conservatives in a deep red state, it's so difficult for me to see so many of my peers getting bad information and then building their future and identities around that information. It's terrifying to see so many people fall for such demonstrably and apparent lies.