Alliance for Audited Media Joins Trust.txt to Spotlight Trusted Publishers

AAM participating in this initiative to help audited publishers stand out for their commitment to quality.

LISLE, Ill. (March 16, 2022) -- The Alliance for Audited Media (AAM) is participating in Trust.txt, an industry initiative developed by non-profit organization JournalList to help recognize publishers as members of trusted industry organizations and associations. AAM joins other industry organizations taking part in this program to provide a collective signal of trust to help quality publishers stand out in a crowded digital market.

“We are proud to join JournalList and participate in Trust.txt to help recognize AAM-audited publishers for their commitment to third-party quality and transparency,” said Tom Drouillard, AAM CEO, president and managing director. “We support organizations like JournalList that create new ways for legitimate publishers to stand out from other websites and are glad to incorporate AAM audits into this framework.”

At a time when there are growing concerns about misinformation and fraudulent news sites, it is more important than ever for advertisers to know where their ads are being shown to protect their brands and support quality journalism. Trust.txt provides transparency by creating machine-readable files that advertisers, tech platforms and search engines can easily access to make connections between publishers and the industry organizations and associations to which they belong.

As part of the program, AAM hosts a Trust.txt file on auditedmedia.com that lists nearly 1,200 of its audited print and digital publishers from the U.S. and Canada, and encourages publishers to host their own Trust.txt files, which can be cross-referenced with AAM’s file to make it easy for advertisers to find trusted publishers.

“This is a simple solution to a complicated problem: an open system that uses publishers' existing relationships and credentials to elevate and monetize their work on digital media,” said Mark Stencel, executive director of JournalList. “Working together with the Alliance for Audited Media and its community of publishers, we will make it easier to automatically distinguish crucial sources of important information from intentionally bogus outlets that peddle dangerous misinformation.”

AAM’s participation in Trust.txt demonstrates another step the organization has taken to elevate publishers committed to transparency. In addition to offering several tools to deliver trusted publisher data to the marketplace, AAM’s Digital Publisher Audit provides a comprehensive analysis of publisher website traffic and adherence to best business practices to provide advertisers with third-party assurance that the publisher has a process in place to deliver human audiences. AAM has also collaborated with industry-leading organizations such as IAB Tech Lab, which includes audited digital publishers in its IAB Tech Lab Compliance Registry.

To learn more about AAM’s participation in Trust.txt and other initiatives, visit auditedmedia.com.

About the Alliance for Audited Media

The Alliance for Audited Media powers transparency and collaboration between North America’s leading media professionals. With more than 100 years of experience in print and digital media audits, AAM is the industry’s recognized leader in cross-media verification with unparalleled expertise across all brand platforms including web, mobile, email and print. Today AAM offers an avenue for media buyers and sellers to connect, forge relationships and transact with trust by delivering authentic, credible data. To learn how AAM brings trust and transparency to today’s media ecosystem, visit auditedmedia.com.

Media Contact

Erin Boudreau, Alliance for Audited Media
224-366-6934