How to know when to trust the news — from a student journalist

Do you really know what a journalist does?

Before I joined my school's journalism class, I thought I knew what a journalist did. But I did not. Actually, I'm willing to say that most or at least a good number of young people don't properly understand the job of a journalist or the policies that they are expected to follow.

But after joining the journalism elective at my school and, in turn, becoming a student journalist for my school's newspaper, I learned the general standards, processes, and ethics professional journalists follow.

Not all people who call themselves "journalists" follow all of the standards, and journalistic policies and ethics are always a topic of discussion. But most good-faith journalists, especially from major newsrooms, agree on certain standards and policies to follow.

In today's news landscape, it can be hard to tell what to trust, and trust in journalism seems to be falling. I think that, in part, we have failed at communicating what the job of a journalist is, how they should act, and how you can know to trust them. And the trust shouldn't be blind; you should be skeptical of what you read — and trust should be earned. Critiquing how things are covered and asking the right questions is also important for keeping journalism trustworthy and transparent.

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I want to do my part in educating people on when you can trust where you get your information and the role and ethical principles of journalism.

The Basics of Journalistic Ethics

SPJ’s Code of Ethics

So let's start with the general ethics professional journalists should follow. Most journalists follow the Code of Ethics by the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ). The SPJ is probably the most well-known organization where all sorts of different journalists come together to promote free speech and encourage ethical journalism. Sometimes journalists follow other policies besides the SPJ Code of Ethics, but these tend to mostly agree with or overlap the SPJ Code of Ethics.

Really, the main thing the everyday person should take away is that journalists should Seek Truth and Report It, Minimize Harm, Act Independently and Be Accountable and Transparent (these are the "pillars" of the SPJ Code of Ethics). If someone who calls themself a journalist doesn't seem to do this, you should question that.

Finding out if a source is trustworthy

If you're not super plugged into the world of journalism, it can be hard to determine which publications you should trust. To make things easier, I've created a list of some "green flags," "yellow flags," and "red flags" you can look out for when evaluating a source. This is not the end-all-be-all by any means, but they serve as a good reminder of what to keep in mind.

A "green flag" is a good thing, and it means a source is more likely to be reliable/trustworthy.

A "red flag" means a source is probably not reliable/trustworthy.

A "yellow flag" means to stop, pause, and look deeper into it.

✅ Green Flags:

Easy-to-find ethics policy

A good about or information page

Articles have clear bylines (author name(s) listed)

Authors have about pages

Quotes are clearly attributed to sources

Publication uses neutral language in news reporting

When people are fully or partially anonymous in an article, a reasonable descriptor is used and rationale for anonymity is given

Factual information has clear sources, often linked

Publication is a non-profit or similar

Ads and promotional content is clearly labeled and separate from the publication's reporting

Articles are edited by people other than the author before publishing

⚠️ Yellow Flags:

Can't find ethics policy

Articles don't have proper bylines or attribution

Many sources are unnamed or anonymous

Publication is not well-known

Publication is owned by a billionaire or similar

Website is littered with ads

Articles are NOT edited by people other than the author before publishing

⛔ Red Flags:

Opinion articles are not properly marked or separated from standard news content

Author inserts their own opinion into a factual news story (this is known as editorializing)

Publication uses words to dramatize an event or create fear, particularly in headlines

Headlines are "clickbaity"

Facts and claims are not easily verifiable

Articles are sponsored or have integrated advertisements

Conflicts of interest are not labeled properly

Hopefully you now have a better understanding of journalism and are better equipped to find out whether or not you can trust a publication.

If you have any questions, concerns, found anything I got wrong or you think I can improve or add, let me know!