Independent journalism plays an essential role in democratic society, but it can only fulfil that role when it is trusted. In recent years, journalists have had to navigate an increasingly complex professional environment shaped by social media, artificial intelligence, online misinformation, legal challenges and rapidly changing audience expectations. At the same time, public trust in news has declined significantly. These developments have created an urgent need for practical, high-quality ethics training that helps journalists make sound editorial decisions while reinforcing the principles that underpin responsible public-interest reporting.

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The Independent Media Trust believes that investing in professional standards is one of the most effective ways to improve the health of the wider information ecosystem. Rather than responding only after trust has broken down, the Trust seeks to support preventative interventions that equip journalists with the knowledge, confidence and ethical frameworks needed to produce accurate, accountable and trustworthy reporting. High-quality journalism benefits everyone: it strengthens democratic debate, improves public understanding and helps counter misinformation before it spreads.

To help achieve this, the Trust is supporting and seeking philanthropic funding to expand Creating Ethical Media & Journalism, an accredited professional training programme developed by Impress, the UK's independent press regulator.

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The programme provides more than forty hours of expert-led learning covering journalism ethics, public interest, media law, defamation, privacy, investigative reporting, AI, misinformation, audience trust, diversity and reporting on vulnerable communities.

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Designed for journalists, editors, students and content creators, it combines practical guidance with recognised professional accreditation, enabling participants to strengthen both their skills and their ethical decision-making throughout their careers.

The Trust's role is not to deliver journalism training directly, but to help incubate, develop and scale initiatives that improve the resilience and integrity of the UK's information environment. 

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By supporting programmes such as Creating Ethical Media & Journalism, the Trust aims to increase access to world-class professional development, particularly for independent and local publishers who often lack the resources available to larger news organisations. 

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Expanding access to ethical training helps ensure that high professional standards are not a privilege enjoyed only by the largest publishers, but become embedded across the wider media ecosystem.

Working in partnership with Impress and organisations across the independent media sector, the Independent Media Trust is seeking funding to enable wider participation, continued curriculum development and greater long-term sustainability for this programme. 

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The Trust sees this as part of a broader mission to strengthen democratic information systems by supporting the institutions, professional standards and public-interest infrastructure that enable trustworthy journalism to flourish.