The Transparency Imperative: Journalism, Trust, and the Future of an Informed Democracy (Brown Democracy Medal)

The Laurence and Lynne Brown Democracy Medal, awarded by the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State University, recognizes outstanding individuals, groups, and organizations that produce innovations to further democracy in the United States or around the world.

Trusting News is a nonprofit organization that helps journalists and the public understand each other, training newsrooms to demonstrate their credibility and earn the trust of the people they serve. Founded in 2016 by Joy Mayer, the organization coaches thousands of journalists each year, providing actionable strategies to change how they do their work day to day. This book explores the roots of the public's distrust of journalism, from perceptions of political and financial bias to concerns about carelessness and irrelevance, and presents the practical approaches Trusting News has developed to help newsrooms rebuild their relationship with audiences through transparency, curiosity, and humility.

For this important work, Trusting News is the recipient of the 2026 Brown Democracy Medal from the McCourtney Institute for Democracy.

Joy Mayer is Founder and Executive Director of Trusting News.

Mollie Muchna is Project Manager at Trusting News.

Lynn Walsh is Assistant Director at Trusting News.