June 4, 2025 The Midwest Center For Investigative Reporting
How we earn trust, one fact at a time
You may have noticed that Investigate Midwest’s masthead (journalism lingo for logo) now includes the words “Rooted in Truth.”
It’s just three words, but they make a powerful statement.
We wanted a new tagline that communicated our journalistic focus. We cover big agribusiness, industrial agriculture and the impacts of both. 'Rooted" subtly helps new readers better grasp our agricultural focus.
But the word “truth” might be the most important. Seeking truth is our foundation. We are literally rooted in it.
Trust in journalism is at an all-time low. Social media, cable news talking heads and politicians have spent the last several years attacking credible news sources. “Fake news” has become a weapon used against journalism that holds the powerful accountable.
Media distrust exists across the political spectrum, but it’s no secret that it’s especially prevalent in middle America.
In February, I spoke with a farming family in rural Oklahoma about their opposition to a large solar farm opening next door. They shared with me their distrust of both the local newspaper and the national media. I walked them through our reporting process and our involvement in The Trust Project. They said they had never heard these types of details about journalism and felt they could trust us enough to share their story.
It was a powerful moment. Essentially, I was explaining how we are “Rooted in Truth,” and that message seemed to hold.
I wish I had recorded that conversation to share with you, but here are three key ways we ensure accuracy:
1. Our fact-checking process is extensive. Each story includes a separate document with footnotes that link and cite the sources of each piece of information. For example, here are the opening few lines with fact-check citations from a recent story by Sky Chadde on dust explosions at ADM facilities.
2. Our most significant investigations undergo legal review. This process is partly to protect us. But lawyers with journalism experience also help ensure that claims we make of a company or individual breaking the law are supported by well-documented facts.
3. We are proud members of The Trust Project. The Trust Project is a global consortium of news organizations that promotes standards of transparency, accuracy, multiple perspectives, and fairness, enabling the public to make informed news choices. The Trust Project stories include a citation list at the end, providing readers with access to the data and documents used, along with details on the individuals we spoke with during our reporting.
We take the trust of our readers seriously, which is why we also welcome feedback and questions. We are Rooted in Truth.
P.S. Since you believe in the work we’re doing, do us a favor — share our stories with a friend. Word of mouth helps us grow.
Here are a few of our more recent stories worth passing along:
- Senator demands Tyson child labor probe. Trump’s cuts to DOL could make that difficult.
- ‘I know I have a dust problem’: ADM repeatedly failed to prevent potentially deadly grain explosions
- New screwworm threat halts cattle imports from Mexico, fueling beef supply worries
- Lawmakers tried to reform Illinois’ food system. Here’s why it failed.
Investigate Midwest is an independent, nonprofit newsroom. Our mission is to serve the public as a watchdog over influential agricultural corporations and institutions through in-depth and data-driven investigative journalism.
