Journalist Amanda Ripley knows a lot about how the news works and human behavior. Her most recent book, High Conflict, has a lot of lessons for how journalists cover issues. But it also has a lot of relevance as we think about our own fraught relationships with the communities we aim to serve.
At Trusting News, our Road to Pluralism initiative examines how journalism can contribute to curiosity rather than polarization. We’re learning how people approach the news differently based on their worldviews and values. And we’re exploring how engagement and transparency can repair broken trust.
One tension keeps coming up with our partner journalists: What happens when people just won’t believe us? When they think we’re operating in bad faith? When their reality (their “facts”) don’t match ours? Is it possible for us to make our journalism “hearable” by them? Or is it sometimes okay to give up on reaching them?
Join Amanda Ripley and Trusting News Director Joy Mayer in a conversation about those tricky subjects. We look forward to your questions and ideas.