Abstract

As public opinion polls continue to chart increasingly negative attitudes toward the news media, transparency has been embraced as a method by which journalists can reestablish trust with the public. Some newspapers have turned to ombudsman’s columns to pull back the curtain and explain the newsgathering process. Others have invited readers to witness the process firsthand by opening their news meetings to the public. Mistakes that once would have been acknowledged with a terse correction might today merit a “note to readers” detailing how or why the error occurred.