Colorado Public Radio First U.S. Media to Obtain Journalism Trust Initiative Certification from Alliance for Audited Media

DENVER, CO. (August 23, 2023) - Colorado Public Radio (CPR) is proud to announce it is the first U.S. media outlet to be awarded a Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI) certification, an international benchmark initiated by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) to fight disinformation by rewarding editorial and professional excellence. CPR was independently audited by the Alliance for Audited Media (AAM), which confirmed CPR’s certification according to the criteria of JTI’s international standard. 

In order to achieve the certification, CPR, a non-profit organization delivering meaningful news, music, and cultural experiences to everyone in Colorado, undertook a thorough self-assessment of its editorial practices designed by JTI to help media outlets gauge their transparency, independence and professionalism.

“Our credibility is paramount in our news coverage. We take great care as we report and produce news stories. Going through this process is an endorsement of our standards, but also helps us ensure our values are understood inside and outside of the newsroom,” said CPR News Executive Editor Kevin Dale.

After completing the self-assessment, which is published online in the form of a JTI transparency report, AAM audited the results to provide the certification, which is the first of its kind for a media outlet in the U.S.

“AAM is proud to verify that Colorado Public Radio has met the requirements surrounding transparency, professionalism and accountability to earn certification from the Journalism Trust Initiative,” said Tom Drouillard, AAM CEO and managing director. “JTI aligns with our continuing mission to help quality media earn greater industry recognition for their commitment to trust."

The JTI benchmark is an official ISO standard measuring news publishers’ ability to deliver editorial content that adheres to specific conditions of transparency, independence and professionalism. ISO standards are used worldwide by external, independent certifiers to complete conformity audits. Prior to offering JTI-specific audit services, AAM went through its own audit to earn accreditation for the JTI conformity assessment, an official recognition of the certifier’s legitimacy.

“The U.S. is proving to be one of the biggest growth opportunities for JTI. We congratulate CPR for paving the way for many more media outlets who embark on this process,” said RSF USA Executive Director Clayton Weimers. “The transparency and best practices demonstrated by adopting the JTI are worthwhile in and of themselves, but the effort is also starting to be rewarded with tangible external benefits. JTI enthusiasm is growing among advertisers, tech platforms and other industry partners, opening the door to expanded revenue stream, audience growth, and more.”

As of July 2023, 100 media outlets from around the world have completed the JTI self-assessment and published their transparency reports. In the U.S., just over 100 media outlets have started the JTI process and 13 of them have achieved the self-evaluation step and published their report. The assessment is available via an online portal and is free to complete. After completing this step, media outlets have the option to be audited by an external certifier, as CPR did with AAM. To date, 17 publishers have achieved this level of certification. 

Media inquiries:

CPR: Clara Shelton, cshelton@cpr.org

JTI/RSF: Bertrand Mossiat, bmossiat@rsf.org 

AAM: Erin Boudreau, erin.boudreau@auditedmedia.com 

About CPR

Colorado Public Radio is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization delivering meaningful news, music, and cultural experiences to everyone in Colorado using the power of the human voice in all its forms. Roughly 95 percent of CPR’s funds come from the private support of listeners, businesses and foundations. For more information, visit www.cpr.org.

• CPR News delivers in-depth, insightful and impartial news and information from around the world, across the nation and throughout Colorado, examining its relevance to our state and connecting it to our community.
• CPR Classical takes listeners on an in-depth exploration of thoughtfully curated music – with an emphasis on Colorado’s classical community – providing context to a broad range of meaningful and compelling works from past to present.
• Indie 102.3 takes listeners inside the world of new and independent music – exposing them to up-and-coming artists and highlighting Colorado’s local music scene.
• Denverite is an online news source dedicated to Denver's curious and concerned.
• KRCC is a public radio station in Colorado Springs, Colorado, serving Southern Colorado. KRCC is operated by Colorado Public Radio in partnership with Colorado College.

About Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Journalism Trust Initiative 

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) defends the right of every human being to have access to free and reliable information. This right is essential to know, understand, form an opinion and take action on vital issues in full awareness, both individually and collectively. Our mission is to act for the freedom, pluralism and independence of journalism and defend those who embody these ideals. Our annual World Press Freedom Index measures the state of press freedom in 180 countries.

Initiated and promoted by RSF, the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI) is an international standard for trustworthy journalism that focuses on the identity and transparency of media outlets and on professional standards and accountability mechanisms that govern their news production. It was developed as an ISO standard – a first for the news publishing industry – by a panel of 100+ international experts under the aegis of the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) and published as Workshop Agreement CWA 17493 in December 2019. 

About AAM

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. In 2023 AAM merged with BPA Worldwide to become the largest not-for-profit media auditing organization dedicated to increasing trust and assurance across media channels. To learn how AAM brings trust and transparency to today’s media ecosystem, visit auditedmedia.com.