Trust in news and journalism continues to decline dramatically, accelerated, no doubt, by the complexity of our information ecosystem. However, trust in journalism was displaced long before the rise of digital and social media.
Research has suggested Black communities have been harmfully misrepresented by mainstream outlets. This includes contributing to overrepresentation of Black people in crime coverage, which contributes to a litany of negative outcomes and perceptions.
Danielle K. Brown is the 1855 Professor of Community and Urban Journalism and an associate professor in the School of Journalism at Michigan State University’s College of Communication Arts and Sciences. She specializes in analyzing media representations: social movements and activism as well as identity and political psychology.
Here, Brown discusses how journalists can rebuild trust with communities who have historically felt ignored, misrepresented or harmed by the news media.