The South China Morning Post is the first news organisation in Asia to join the Trust Project, a consortium of the world’s top media companies committed to the highest standards of journalistic quality, transparency and credibility.
The Trust Project is a global network of major news outlets working to affirm and amplify journalism’s commitment to transparency, accuracy and inclusion. It includes BBC, the Washington Post, and the Economist. Please visit thetrustproject.org for more details.
This commitment underlines the SCMP’s dedication to press freedom and quality journalism and reinforces its continued mission to lead the global conversation on China with trustworthy, comprehensive reporting from its unique vantage point in Hong Kong.
“The South China Morning Post believes a commitment to transparency is foundational to journalistic excellence, which is why today we are pleased to join the Trust Project,” said SCMP CEO Gary Liu. “This is just the latest step in our drive to earn our readers’ trust through transparent practices, and we hope that other news organisations in the region will join us in implementing clear policies to bolster the freedom of the press.”
It joins 32 other reliable news sites run by seven news organizations that have committed to the rigorous standards and disclosures of the Trust Project. Approved news sites with the Trust Project show who and what is behind a news story, enabling readers to make informed decisions about what to read and share. The incoming news partners extend the Trust Indicators’ reach to more than 200 news sites and hundreds of millions of people a month.
“For more than a century, our newsroom has been dedicated to covering the issues and implications on the latest developments in China and Hong Kong that impact global trends,” said Tammy Tam, Editor-in-Chief, SCMP. “Especially in this global coronavirus pandemic, what the world needs now is swift and objective coverage from credible news sources and focus on transparency and education to prevent overreaction and panic. The Trust Project provides transparent standards of our news production to help readers around the world who come to us for quality, trustworthy journalism.”
The SCMP has implemented transparent newsroom policies that adhere to the consortium’s Trust Indicators, including policies on ethics, corrections, fact-checking and sourcing. These Trust Indicators featured on its pages aim to provide readers with insight into the methodology of SCMP’s journalism as an authentic, reliable, and balanced news source.
“We are proud of the hard work and commitment to the public shown by the South China Morning Post,” said Sally Lehrman, founder and chief executive of the Trust Project. “As the Trust Project expands and more news sites adopt the Trust Indicators, now a globally accepted standard, we can slow the spread of false and misleading news and amplify the valuable journalism produced by reputable news organizations across the world.”
The March 2020 launch includes major international, regional, local and independent organizations. In addition to South China Morning Post, sites joining the Trust Project include Spanish current affairs magazine Cambio 16, FRONTLINE, the flagship investigative documentary series of the Public Broadcasting Service, The National Observer and CTV News, which extend the Trust Indicators to every province in Canada and The Southern California News Group and the Denver Post in the U.S.A.
