The Trust Project is an international consortium of 200 news organizations building standards of transparency and working with technology platforms to affirm and amplify journalism’s commitment to accuracy, inclusion, and fairness so that the public can make informed news choices.

Canada's National Observer became a partner in the Trust Project in March 2020, joining credible news companies such as The Washington Post, the Economist and the Globe and Mail. The group includes top international, regional and local news sites throughout Canada, Asia, Spain and the United States. Those news sites include Frontline news in the U.S., South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, and CTV news in Canada.

Canada's National Observer's news is accurate, accountable and ethically produced.

The eight Trust Indicators address:

  • Best Practices: What are the news outlet’s standards? Who funds the organization? What is its mission? Plus commitments to ethics, diverse voices, accuracy, making corrections and other standards.

  • Journalist Expertise: Who made this? Details about the journalist, including their expertise and other stories they have worked on.

  • Type of Work: What is this? Labels to distinguish opinion, analysis and advertiser (or sponsored) content from news reports.

  • References: What’s the source? For investigative or in-depth stories, access to the sources behind the facts and assertions.

  • Methods: How was it built? And for in-depth stories, information about why reporters chose to pursue a story and how they went about the process.

  • Locally Sourced? Was the reporting done on the scene, with deep knowledge about the local situation or community?

  • Diverse Voices: What are the newsroom’s efforts and commitments to bringing in diverse perspectives? Readers noticed when certain voices, ethnicities, or political persuasions were missing.

  • Actionable Feedback: Can we participate? A newsroom’s efforts to engage the public’s help in setting coverage priorities, contributing to the reporting process, ensuring accuracy and other areas.