Trust Project Adds 27 Leading Local, Community Sites and Newsletters

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May 11, 2022, 09:00 ET

Newest sites expand 8 Trust Indicators' global impact on news literacy

PACIFICA, Calif., May 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A Native American news site and 24 local news sites – some over 150 years old - representing 27 news vehicles in all have earned the Trust Mark, accelerating the Trust Project's campaign to elevate trustworthy news.

The Trust Project welcomes 25 news partners.

"With war, pandemic and economic hardship creating fertile ground for falsehood and uncertainty, we are proud that so many sites are strengthening their commitment to the public," said Sally Lehrman, founder and CEO of the Trust Project. "These organizations go beyond lip service to accountability. They have put hard work into building integrity, honesty and inclusion into their daily practices."

Local media and ethnic media play a vital role as trusted information partners to their communities. With the 8 Trust Indicators™, they clearly stand out from pay-to-play and hyper-partisan sites that distort facts to serve their agendas.

With this group, the Trust Indicators will be shown for the first time on a Native American-focused news site and on trustworthy, journalism-driven newsletters. Forum Communications, a family-owned media and technology company in operation since 1878, is delivering the Trust Indicators for the first time to the public on 20 news sites this week. The Trust Project welcomes:

Agweek (Forum Communications Company) is dedicated to agricultural news and information, agriculture news and farming trends, issues, and crop details in North Dakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota.

Alexandria Echo Press (Forum) delivers award-winning news reported by community-based journalists at the only local newspaper in Douglas County, Minnesota.

The Bemidji Pioneer (Forum) is the trusted source for local news, sports, tourism, weather and more by community-based journalists in north-central Minnesota.

Brainerd Dispatch (Forum) delivers 24/7 local news, sports, weather and outdoor adventure news to Crow Wing County, Minn., and beyond.

Buffalo's Fire, published by the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance and based on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota, is dedicated to regional Native news independent of tribal government funding and influence.

Capital Daily, an independent daily, brings investigative, explanatory news and analysis to Victoria, B.C., readers through its website and newsletter.

The Dickinson Press (Forum) serves southwestern North Dakota with the latest local news, sports, energy and tourism coverage.

DL-Online (Forum) delivers community news as the online branch of the Detroit Lakes Tribune, which has reported on the lakes area of Minnesota for over 150 years.

The Jamestown Sun (Forum) offers 24/7 local news, sports, agriculture and tourism coverage to Stutsman County and all of south-central North Dakota.

Duluth News Tribune (Forum) has been covering the local news for communities in northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin for more than 150 years.

The Examiner News publishes award-winning community print newspapers, a local news website and a bonus content newsletter in Westchester and Putnam counties in New York.

The Globe (Forum) continues a deep heritage of over 150 years of reporting the local news, sports, safety concerns and business updates of nine counties in southwestern Minnesota.

Grand Forks Herald (Forum) delivers the latest local news to a large portion of northeastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota.

InForum (Forum) offers 24/7 local news coverage for southeast North Dakota and northwest Minnesota, combining the reporting power of The Forum and WDAY-TV.

Mitchell Republic (Forum) offers timely local news and insights in Davison County, South Dakota, and surrounding communities with a team of dedicated journalists.

Montana Free Press produces in-depth public-service journalism on state government and policy, shining light on the economy, environment, energy, health care and social justice.

Park Rapids Enterprise (Forum) offers a rich history of over 140 years of local news, weather, tourism and outdoor adventure reporting for residents and visitors of the Park Rapids area of Minnesota.

Perham Focus (Forum) covers local news, area tourism, business and more as the oldest news source in Otter Tail County, Minn.

Pine and Lakes Echo Journal (Forum) delivers the latest local news, reported by community-based journalists, to a large portion of Crow Wing County, Minn.

Pine Journal (Forum) delivers 24/7 news and updates in Carlton County, Minn., providing trusted local news, business insights, sports coverage and more.

Post Bulletin (Forum) delivers award-winning local news 24/7 to Rochester, Minn., and all of southeastern Minnesota with a team of community-based journalists.

SoCoNews.org, owned by the non-profit Sonoma County Local News Initiative in California, was born out of four local newspapers, three of which were founded more than 130 years ago.

Superior Telegram (Forum) delivers local news, business updates and recreation coverage to Douglas County and all of northwestern Wisconsin.

Wadena Pioneer Journal (Forum) offers 24/7 local sports, business and safety news coverage to Otter Tail and Wadena counties in central Minnesota.

West Central Tribune (Forum), with a team of award-winning journalists, serves as a trusted source for the latest local news covering seven counties in central Minnesota.

The Trust Mark logo indicates that a news site has implemented the 8 Trust Indicators and made specific commitments to transparency, impartiality and accuracy. The Trust Indicators help both people and algorithms easily assess the authority and integrity of news. They increasingly are being used as a news literacy training tool and for external assessment of news site validity.

The Trust Project is a 501(c )3 nonprofit funded by Craig Newmark Philanthropies, Google and Democracy Fund. Trust Project policies and the Trust Indicators are shaped and enforced independently from funding sources.

To learn more, visit thetrustproject.org.

About the Trust Project:

The Trust Project is a global network of news organizations working collaboratively to affirm and amplify journalism's commitment to transparency, accuracy and inclusion. The Trust Project, Trust Indicators and Trust Mark logo are exclusive trademarks of The Trust Project. For more, visit thetrustproject.org/faq/.

For more information about this release, contact:

Jessica Sterling, Operations Manager
[email protected]

SOURCE The Trust Project