WSJ editor Baker on the need to be a trusted news organization

Wall Street Journal editor Gerard Baker sent out the following email to the staff on Thursday:

In a turbulent political age, there’s been much public discussion about trust in the media. You’ve heard me talk a lot about trust and our overriding obligation to be fair and objective as we cover politics – and indeed all subjects. When relations between government and the media are especially strained, it’s more important than ever that we maintain our composure and our commitment to reporting the truth, without political or ideological slant.

I wanted to make sure you all saw the results of an opinion poll conducted this month by YouGov for The Economist.

In a survey of 1500 adults, the polling firm asked Americans whether they found a number of named news organizations to be trustworthy or untrustworthy.

The results are instructive:

Interestingly, the data show that there has been an erosion of trust since May when the same question was last asked – for all news organizations – though, again, less for The Journal than for the others. The full results can be found here. https://today.yougov.com/news/2017/07/26/war-between-president-and-news-media-there-may-be-/

Even as we take pride in the strength and range of our reporting – and in the faith our readers place in us – it’s a timely reminder of our need to remain vigilant and to rededicate ourselves to our obligation to be truly objective, so we continue to earn that faith, and our reputation as the most trusted major news organization in America.

Gerry