Values-aware journalism: A practical toolkit

April 2026
Common Cause Foundation

This toolkit is for journalists, editors and other media workers in the UK who want to understand how the values their reporting engages can shape public attitudes – and what a more values-aware approach to journalism might look like in practice. Drawing on Schwartz values theory and the intrinsic/extrinsic values distinction, it offers practical guidance for applying this thinking to everyday editorial decisions.

You can also read it online at: https://valuesawarejournalism.org/

DOWNLOAD

Read
this if...

  • You're a journalist, editor, or media professional wanting to understand how your reporting might be reinforcing or challenging the values that drive social change
  • You're interested in the relationship between media, public values, and the prospects for tackling social and environmental challenges

Key Takeaways

  1. The values that journalism engages, often unconsciously, can have significant effects on public attitudes toward social and environmental issues, independent of the content of the reporting itself.
  2. A values-aware approach doesn’t require changing what journalists cover, but how they frame it – small editorial choices can make a meaningful difference.
DOWNLOAD

Toolkit resources

Why fundraise?

Is there a way to fundraise without being in direct competition with other charities?

Do you feel like a fraud?

Are your communications engaging people as citizens or consumers?

Free gifts and supporter journeys

Exploring some of the challenges posed by the pressures of short-term fundraising

Reasons to volunteer

Reflecting on intrinsic motivations to volunteer

Value surveys and maps

More information on the two values surveys that Common Cause draws on in its work

Material tested in our experiments

Further information on the texts used in the study with WWF and Scope

Summary of published research

A summary of results from research into priming values

Other resources
you might like

Perceptions Matter: Report & Summary

Common Cause: The Case for Working with our Cultural Values

No cause is an island: How People are Influenced by Values Regardless of the Cause

Skip to content