NewsTrust

NewsTrust is a nonpartisan, non-profit news network that operates a web site (www.newstrust.net) where users are able to reference quality news stories, rate those stories according to quality of journalism, post reviews and add stories they themselves find worthwhile. NewsTrust is billed as "Your Guide to Good Journalism." ^[1]

Founded in 2005 and based in Mill Valley, California, NewsTrust Communications is a 501(c)(3) California public benefit organization. NewsTrust partners include the Huffington Post, PBS, PolitiFact and the Washington Post. Advisors include Howard Rheingold (Stanford University), Craig Newmark (Craigslist) and other digital media innovators. NewsTrust has received support from the MacArthur Foundation, Ashoka, the Ayrshire Foundation, the Mitch Kapor Foundation, the Sunlight Foundation and the Tides Foundation. Private donors include Doug Carlston and Henry Perry.^[2][3]

Highly rated news stories gain prominence on the NewsTrust web site as multiple users rate them according to specific standards of journalistic quality—among them fairness, context and the strength of the evidence presented. Thus visitors to the NewsTrust web site are able to peruse specific stories, view their cumulative ratings, and find quality journalism. Visitors may also choose to enhance their level of participation by rating the stories, writing reviews, and posting new stories.

The founder and executive director of NewsTrust is Fabrice Florin, whose stated goal is to expose NewsTrust users to multiple sources of quality journalism.

"We want to get citizens to take a moment to go beyond their usual news consumption habits, to broaden their perspective. If your viewpoint is from the right, take a look at a news source from the left. If your viewpoint is from the left, take a look at what media from the right are saying. If you tend to read mainly mainstream press, take a look at some independent journalism." ^[4]

NewsTrust offers a categorized list of all the stories that have been posted since its inception.

On March 2, 2010 Omidyar Network announced a grant of $100,000 to enable NewsTrust to further develop web-based tools that will help users become better informed and differentiate between misinformation and credible news. With the Omidyar Network grant, five specific pilot programs will be run over the next six months:^[5]

•MyNews – a personal news-filtering tool

•Local News Hunt – a rating system for local news

•Global News Hunt – a rating system for international news

•TrustNetworks – a community site for members and partners

•TruthSquad – a community fact-checking service.

References

1. ^ http://www.dankennedy.net/
2. ^ http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/omidyar-network-awards-grant-to-newstrust-85967637.html
3. ^ http://www.smartmobs.com/2007/11/28/newstrustnet-receives-macarthur-grant/
4. ^ http://www.pbs.org/engage/blog/pbs-engage-pov-partner-newstrust
5. ^ http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/omidyar-network-awards-grant-to-newstrust-85967637.html

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/omidyar-network-awards-grant-to-newstrust-85967637.html

http://www.pbs.org/engage/blog/pbs-engage-pov-partner-newstrust

http://medianation.blogspot.com/2008/04/re-editing-agenda-with-newstrust.html

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/vote2008/reportersblog/2008/10/as_candidates_grapple_with_eco.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amanda-michel/join-the-john-mccain-news_b_104629.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fabola/sets/72057594068512337/

http://www.smartmobs.com/2007/11/28/newstrustnet-receives-macarthur-grant/

http://www.whorunsgov.com/Partners/NewsTrust