Complete report

Across the country, newspapers are swiftly expanding online news coverage. And, as that trend continues, the mixing of print and web cultures raises questions inside the newsroom and some confusion outside.

Can, and should, news organizations monitor and edit the free-flowing public conversation on their web sites, comment that sometimes veers far from traditional civil discourse, with postings that are racist, accusatory and crude?

Are news organizations establishing priorities, policies and practices for web-based journalism that serve the overall community?

How can and should journalists and the public share responsibility for creating good journalism on the web?

These questions and others led the Associated Press Managing Editors and the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute at Missouri to survey editors and citizens about their views of the credibility of news on the web.

APME is a professional, non-profit organization of top editors at more than 1,500 newspapers affiliated with The Associated Press. Its mission is to assist editors in coping creatively and effectively with newsroom management challenges. During the past decade, APME took the national lead in helping newsrooms incorporate attention to news credibility and community connections into the daily life of American journalism.

The Reynolds JournalismInstitute (RJI) focuses on studies in journalism values, practices and technologies, and the role of journalism in democratic societies. Established in 2004, the new institute is collaborating with a number of journalism organizations, including APME, to intensify attention to the relationship between citizens and the press and to fundamental journalistic values as technology changes the terrain.

The Online Journalism Credibility Project is intended to create discussion, collaboration and action by newspaper editors, online news leaders and the public to establish model policies, practices and programs for trustworthy online news coverage.