Campaign Launched To Support Real News

The trade group News Media Alliance today kicked off a national campaign focused on combatting the increasing prevalence of fake news. The campaign, Support Real News, aims to shine a light on the harm to the public caused by fake news and the importance of real news produced by respected, trusted news organizations employing high-quality, investigative journalists.

The campaign calls on the public to support real news by subscribing to a local newspaper and supporting investigative journalism through donating to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). ICIJ, Inland Press Association and Local Media Consortium are partners of the campaign.

“We are encouraged by the efforts of our members and other organizations to call attention to the growing fake news problem and to promote the value of real news,” said Alliance President-CEO David Chavern. “As the association that represents the news media industry, fighting fake news is one of the most important things the News Media Alliance can do for our members right now. Our campaign raises awareness of the damage that can be and is being caused by fake news, and to demonstrate why the continued presence of real news organizations is vital to a strong democracy.”

The Alliance has developed a variety of campaign resources leveraging digital, social, video and print formats. The campaign, which lives on the Alliance website, includes two colorful ads in print and digital formats; a 90-second online video; social media graphics and profile badge; blog posts and an op-ed by Chavern.

The ICIJ is also posting the ads on its website. “We are delighted to be included in this important campaign, which echoes our mission to support and enable investigative journalism,” said Gerard Ryle, ICIJ director.

“We wanted to show our support for this important initiative and encourage our members to participate,” said Doug Hiemstra, president of Inland Press. “The more news organizations participate, the greater impact we can have.”

“We have all been forced to deal with fake news,” added Rusty Coats, executive director of the LMC. “Which is why we should all come together to address it.”

The Alliance will also host a Facebook Live event today at 2 p.m. ET. It will feature a panel discussing issues pertaining to the current news environment and fake news. The panel will be moderated by Alliance staff and will include Q&A with viewers.

“Our hope is for news media organizations to share our campaign and amplify our message, and for the public to respond by supporting real news and the journalists who make it all possible,” Chavern said.