Earning the Public Trust

News consumers today are hearing a lot about the public’s growing distrust of media – and plenty are pointing fingers to assign blame.

This distrust has resulted from opinion becoming the norm in media, with far too few diligently uncovering the hard facts. It is compounded by the rise in “solutions-based” journalism, which starts with the end in mind – a solution in search of a problem.

“Solutions-based” journalism allows reporters to abdicate the task of investigating and delivering facts – facts that readers deserve. That’s not by accident. It is a deliberate shift driven by industry leaders. This work is powered by partisan dollars and agendas, but often celebrated as a way to provide readers with a solution rather than just reporting facts.

The Associated Press announced today it will inject additional resources into... providing solutions-based journalism rather than merely highlighting problems...

- AP ANNOUNCES SWEEPING DEMOCRACY JOURNALISM INITIATIVE  | DEC. 15, 2022

That is why, four years ago, The Franklin News Foundation launched The Center Square. And because of you and others like you – readers who want facts to make their own judgments we have grown coverage nationwide, delivering content to millions of Americans for free.

But delivering facts is only the start. As a reader-funded initiative, your support of The Center Square allows our journalists to be free from outside political agendas as well.

This objectivity has earned recognition from media bias watchdogs such as Ad Fontes, AllSides, and NewsGuard, all ranking The Center Square’s coverage as centrist and reliable.

The Center Square’s credibility comes from investigating what local, state, and federal governments are doing – and arming citizens with the information they need to make their own decisions.

This objective, hard-nose reporting standard is set by example.

In May 2023 The Center Square’s Executive Editor Dan McCaleb, who also serves as the Vice President of News and Content at parent company The Franklin News Foundation, received national recognition as one of only 12 media professionals selected by Editor and Publisher as an “Editor Extraordinaire.”

With a track record of captaining newsrooms, McCaleb oversees a team of 30 full time reporters and manages an additional 45 freelance journalists. Together, this newsroom delivers fact-based news coverage from all 50 states and the federal government in Washington, D.C.

As national, solutions-driven headlines capture most of the media’s attention, this leaves a growing hole where there used to be local coverage – and leaves readers uninformed about the real issues facing their communities.

This is the problem you and I are solving. Together, we go into state capitals and report on the polices that most impact taxpayers – in their own backyards.

Thank you for making this fact-based, local coverage possible. Because of you, Franklin is free to serve taxpayers, without political obligations and without charge.