What PolitiFact learned about making money and earning trust
Spring of 2019, something had been bugging me at PolitiFact: As Editor-in-Chief Angie Holan and I plugged away at our daily and weekly newsletters, I feared there was an information gap. Comments such as “you only fact-check the GOP” were pervasive, even from readers who had been on our listserv for years. Our newsletters promoted our fact-checks, but didn’t convey the basics of how, why and who we fact-check. We needed to correct this, and fast, as the 2020 election ramped up.
After reaching out to Joy Mayer at Trusting News, I learned that studies show fact-checking is a relatively new concept, and spelling out nonpartisanship is paramount. This was an excellent opportunity for PolitiFact to tell our editorial independence story. Working with Joy and Angie, I led a six-month, control-test experiment that tracked reader reactions to messages about transparency and PolitiFact’s values. The experiment found that journalism trust-building strategies increased clicks on the donation button and improved brand sentiment within the audience.
I am now empowered to place trust language throughout our fact-checks, videos, fundraising and social media. I took on the challenge of an outside consultant, and gained a mentor, expertise, and legitimacy in my newsroom role. Read the report >>