Launching Sept. 15 with guests from reporting, editing, ethics, and policy, plus experts and the people at the center of the story
LOS ANGELES — The Media Integrity Project, an independent, volunteer-run initiative focused on journalism accountability, today launched Humanity in Journalism, a podcast examining the people and decisions behind the news.
The show is built on a premise its founder argues is largely missing from public media conversation: readers are asked to evaluate journalism constantly, but are almost never shown how it is made.
“Most media criticism argues about verdicts,” said Jessica Wiederhorn, who founded the project. “Almost none of it explains process. You can’t ask people to trust journalism while keeping the actual work invisible to them.”
The project also builds ReporterLens™, an analytical tool that evaluates news articles against the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics and journalism fundamentals across 17 weighted metrics, producing a transparent, reproducible score rather than an ideological judgment. Where ReporterLens™ examines structure, Humanity in Journalism takes up the human side: the decisions behind the craft, and the impact on the people who are written about.
The Media Integrity Project runs without advertisers, institutional backers, or political affiliation.
Two episodes are available at launch. The first covers the project’s origin. The second features Danny Klein, editor of FSR and QSR magazines.
Upcoming guests include Dan Axelrod, journalist and current chair of the Society of Professional Journalists’ (SPJ) Ethics Committee and co-chairman of its Code revision subcommittee, and Nick Anthony, policy analyst at the Cato Institute.
Humanity in Journalism is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Full transcripts are published with every episode on YouTube. The podcast is produced by Busylike (www.busylike.com).
To learn more about Humanity in Journalism, please visit www.humanityinjournalism.com.
To learn more about The Media Integrity Project, please visit www.themediaintegrityproject.com.
About Humanity in Journalism
Humanity in Journalism is a podcast exploring the human stories, ethical questions, and real-world impact behind the news. Hosted by Jessica Wiederhorn, the podcast brings journalists, editors, media leaders, experts, and people at the center of news stories into candid conversations about how journalism gets made and what happens after the story is published. The podcast offers a space for honest, thoughtful conversations about the craft of journalism, the responsibilities that come with it, and how the industry can better serve both the public and the people whose stories it tells. For more information on the podcast, visit www.humanityinjournalism.com.
About The Media Integrity Project
The Media Integrity Project is an independent initiative dedicated to advancing transparency, accountability, and humanity in journalism. Through analytical tools, research, and dialogue, the project explores how reporting is created, interpreted, and experienced, with the goal of elevating the standards of public storytelling. The Media Integrity Project is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Society of Professional Journalists. For more information on the initiative, visit www.themediaintegrityproject.com.
Contact: Jessica Wiederhorn, Founder
press@themediaintegrityproject.com