In late 2000 I worked on a major project for a newly-formed journalism organization, the Online News Association [ONA] on digital credibility and its impact upon journalism. Here’s a bit about the project from the announcement press release in early 2001:
ONA’s Web Credibility Study, for which it was awarded $225,000 from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation (www.knightfdn.org), is studying the impact of technology and the Internet on the gathering and dissemination of news.
The study will work to develop and promote principles and guidelines for online journalism focusing on proper relationships between editorial content, advertising and e-commerce; the development of ethical standards and avoidance of conflicts of interest; and appropriate use of hyperlinking in a journalistic environment.
My co-author of the project was Martha Stone, a newspaper consultant [as was I at this time]. Not mentioned in the release was the work that Dianne M. Lynch, the first ONA executive director, who would help us shape the report to its high quality. It is a report I’m very proud of and I believe it still has lessons for today, 2019.
Here’s a link to the article about the study I wrote for the Poynter Institute’s website. And here’s my lede:
Credibility. It is hard to define, hard to earn, and even harder to regain once it is lost.For decades, news organizations — especially newspapers — have struggled to understand why readers find the media less and less credible. Or why some news organizations, such as cable news networks, have a higher credibility rating than older and more established (and local) news outlets. It is a vexing problem.
One interesting sidenote from the “About ONA” section: the number of ONA members, 450. Membership in 2020 is more than 2,000.
The Online News Association is an association composed largely of professional online journalists. Though not yet two years old, the Association has more than 450 professional members, that is, members whose principal livelihood involves gathering or producing news for online presentation.
Footnote: The Credibility Report was discussed at a session at the 2019 Online News Association convention in New Orleans. Here’s what the program said:
This year, ONA celebrates 20 years of training, networking and honoring excellence in journalism. We’ve organized a Featured session super-group of ONA all-stars: some of our founders alongside others who launched some of the most iconic work in ONA history.
