In the world of social media, driven by powerful algorithms, there is less and less distinction between facts and fiction, between your truth and mine, between genuine and false. In this world, journalism has become more important than ever before. The media’s difficult, and sometimes painful, search for the real facts and the nuanced truth is a crucial part of our society. At Mediahuis, we realise that trust is critical. We do not take the trust of our readers for granted. We have to deserve that trust, with everything that we do, every day.

That is why we are launching a trust project in our newsrooms. As part of this, all our editorial codes are now published on the Irish Independent. Soon they will be published on more of our websites. Strengthening standards and policies is a key priority. When we get something wrong, we aim to correct it and admit the error when practicable to do so. We are engaging with our readers more to find out their views.

The old saying is that trust is hard earned and easily lost. But how do we measure trust? Mediahuis Ireland has partnered with the Edelman Trust Barometer, which measures trust and credibility in the media internationally, to ensure we can monitor progress on a regular basis. Our publications will also keep serving the public interest through their outstanding journalism and work hard to earn the continued trust of our valued audiences.

Media has been a black box for too long. Obviously, we have a duty to protect our sources, but this cannot be used as an excuse to avoid behaving in a much more transparent way. We have to work harder to get our sources on the record. We have to tell our stakeholders what we did to get the story.  We have to talk to our readers about our ethical standards and our methods. We have to admit and correct our errors clearly. We have to be open to answering questions from readers. We see ourselves as the watchdog, but we have to allow others to keep a close eye on that watchdog.

From a corporate perspective, Mediahuis is a network with a very thin corporate layer. Mediahuis is made by everyone in the group.  If there is such a thing as the Mediahuis formula for success, it is our openness and transparency that allows us to connect with people very quickly.

Innovation is embedded in our genes. We are pioneers, always looking to improve. We make sure that our people are, and remain, in the know. Our employees grasp the chances they get to continuously develop themselves.

We are stronger together than alone. That’s why we believe in joining forces, and why our people and brands work together in a sustainable way, with room and understanding for mutual competition and local interests.  We can all learn from each other, and ultimately all that matters is that we’re all working towards the same goal.

We go straight for the target. Together we create the processes and the working environment that allow us to achieve this. Continuous care for the efficiency of our processes makes us resilient to all the challenges that cross our path and gives us the necessary headroom for further development of our current portfolio and expansion of the group in the coming years.