Today's trust tip: Use contact forms to build trust

Hi there. Lynn here.

Finding contact information for a news organization and for individual journalists should not be complicated. All of us should have a “Contact Us” page that quickly explains how to submit a news tip or a correction request, and how to contact a department or an individual journalist.

When putting together a page like this, it’s great to create a one-stop-shop situation. Make it easy for people who come to accomplish a specific task by listing the general information first (news tip email address, correction form, etc.). Then have the staff bios with contact information below.

While having a helpful contact us page is important, the page (and anywhere it is linked or embedded) can also be a great way to build trust with your community. And it doesn't have to be anything elaborate or involve a lot of text.

Take a look at what KPCC did with their contact form. By adding just a few sentences, they used the space above their contact form to remind their community about their values as a news organization by saying, "SCPR places a high value in making news that matters to you." They also made the ask seem more personable and friendly, by saying, "Please share your experience with us."

Thinking carefully about word choice when asking for feedback can be very impactful. It also can remind your community what you care about and why you want to hear from them.

Another newsroom was able to accomplish something similar by creating a handout. The Herald & Review's “4 ways you can help the Herald & Review cover your community,” handout was simple and easy to digest but included a lot of good information, including how users could share feedback, support the paper, join the conversation themselves, or meet the journalists in person.

The description of their "Dialogue" page is particularly good. They say, "We want your opinion about the day's news. That's what our Dialogue page is for - to serve as a place for you to have your say." Their ask for feedback also uses language that can be helpful for building trust. They say, "Your feedback is important to us as we brainstorm story ideas and develop plans for our reporting."

The bottom of the handout also included direct contact information for the editor-in-chief, along with a photo, helping make the journalists in the newsroom feel accessible and human.

On top of using your contact form or contact us page to build trust, it's also vital that information is easy to find. I am not sure if you have ever tried to get in touch with a journalist but a lot of times it is a lot harder than it should be. We wrote about this in a previous Trust Tips newsletter.

If safety is a concern and people feel uncomfortable putting their individual emails, work phone numbers or social profiles online, try to create a space where all incoming communication can be collected, reviewed and replied to without putting anyone in danger or at risk. Maybe use a general staff email or encrypted messaging services.

TRY THIS: Go to your home page and see how many clicks it takes you to find a phone number and email address for the newsroom. How about info for you personally? If a link on the home page doesn't easily take you in the right direction, consider proposing publishing a staff list. If you can't get buy-in for the newsroom, try adding your contact info to your own work.

Apply for election grants

The American Press Institute is launching a small grants initiative to help newsrooms improve and deepen their relationships with their communities in this year’s elections. News organizations that have ideas for ways to forge stronger community relationships through deep listening and engaged reporting may apply for these grants of $1,500 to $5,000 per newsroom through August 17, 2022. (API is a partner and financial supporter of Trusting News.)

Thanks for reading!

Lynn Walsh, Trusting News assistant director
August 9, 2022

Trusting News aims to demystify trust in news and empower journalists to take responsibility for actively demonstrating credibility and earning trust. It is a project of the Reynolds Journalism Institute and the American Press Institute.

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