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Toronto Star Public Editor: Democracy demands media literacy

By Kathy English for the Toronto Star Dear readers: What do you want to know about the Toronto Star’s journalism in this digital age? How can we help you better understand the culture of journalism — why and how journalists do what they do, what the Star chooses to cover, who makes those decisions? Can…

By Kathy English for the Toronto Star

Dear readers: What do you want to know about the Toronto Star’s journalism in this digital age?

How can we help you better understand the culture of journalism — why and how journalists do what they do, what the Star chooses to cover, who makes those decisions?

Can greater understanding of the mission and daily workings of our journalism create greater reader trust? I hope so.

We have heard much in recent weeks about a “global trust crisis” in public institutions, with trust in media the world over falling to all-time lows. According to the 2017 Edelman Trust Barometer, Canadians’ trust in media fell to 45 per cent, dropping a full 10 points from a year earlier.

Within the media, particularly in the United States where President Donald Trump has declared journalists to be “the enemy of the people,” there has been some discussion recently of the need for the media to do a better job of telling its own story and for journalists to better explain ourselves to our audiences.

Continue reading this story on the Toronto Star website, where it was first published.