ASNE works to help the industry on the vital issue of building reader credibility. Efforts to date include ground-breaking scientific research, the use of test-site newspapers, a handbook of practical tools and state and regional workshops. The Journalism Credibility Project was made possible through the support of the McCormick Tribune Foundation and newspapers nationwide.

ASNE publications

• Perspectives of People and the Press: The initial ground-breaking 1999 report on newspaper credibility, including a national survey and a survey of journalists on the credibility question.
• Building Reader Trust: The 2000 follow-up report on what six test-site newspapers found when they worked to address the credibility questions posed in the original research.
• The Newspaper Credibility Handbook: The 2001 handbook for editors that suggests practical steps that newspaper editors and their staffs can take to improve their credibility.

Ongoing project

• The ASNE/Poynter Ethics Tool: The Ethics Tool will help you develop a solution to an ethics problem -- a solution that you'll be able to articulate, test and defend. The tool poses a series of questions about your ethics case, and then compiles your responses in a document you can print or just read online.