What is ComingFrom.org?
ComingFrom.org is a research project that examines different models of transparency in journalism. We encourage journalists to share who they are, how they think and where they’re coming from, so that audiences can better understand and engage with their reporting.
By sharing examples of “where we’re coming from” statements, we hope to inspire other journalists and news organizations to reflect on the idea and produce their own.
The initiative was spearheaded by the 2022 cohort of the Studio 20: Digital First master’s program at New York University’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute and program director Jay Rosen.
How did we perform this research?
In November 2021, we published a call on this website and social media, asking the public to share what they believed were good examples of Coming From statements. After a process of analysis and curation that lasted four weeks, we created the Coming From Collection, which highlights a variety of cases and explains how each example is building trust through transparency.
What is a Coming From statement?
It’s a statement published by a journalist or newsroom that discloses core values, fundamental beliefs, point of view, history, background, financial ties or anything about them that could influence the way they do journalism.
For more, see Jay Rosen’s post: The “here’s where we’re coming from” statement in journalism.
What is NOT a Coming From statement?
What we’re not showcasing is safe, boilerplate language that can be found in countless newsroom About pages around the world. We’re also not interested in resumés or portfolios that just state professional experience. A Coming From statement is about true transparency, created in the spirit of open dialogue between journalists and their audience.
“Writing a ‘where I’m coming from statement’ was enormously useful to me as I started my newsletter. It forced me to articulate an editorial mission, my values, and my editorial process. … I strongly encourage more journalists to write one of their own. The benefits are real!”
Casey Newton, Founder of Platformer
