Second, the press needs to understand the broadest meaning of the term frame of reference. It does not merely mean, as the ASNE Journalism Credibility Project paper puts it, calling for a deeper understanding of their community by journalists, or a deeper knowledge of the communities in which they live and work. It is, I believe, much more than writing and editing stories in ways that resonate with readers, to quote again from the document. I m not a journalist, but that is not what I think of when I think of story framing as a means of increasing credibility. To me, framing a story means putting it in context, framing an incident reported in such a way that the readers do not draw the wrong conclusions from the story.
Credibility clearly involves telling the truth.
It involves being just. But it may also involve being merciful, being empathetic. Recognizing and reporting on human frailty and tragedy without exploiting it for the sake of the story, or worse, for the sake of market share, will ultimately help address the problems of cynicism and credibility. Berdahl is chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley.