The media has a profound impact on which values we collectively prioritise – and through this, on our prospects for social and environmental change. After years of research, convening and collaboration, we’ve developed a practical toolkit to help journalists put this understanding to work.
The values we prioritise as societies are hugely important; they impact what we collectively see as important in the world, and what we think and do about social and environmental issues. These values are shaped by many influences, but few have such a significant impact as the media.
Research consistently shows that communication which foregrounds intrinsic values – care, connection, creativity, equality – tends to strengthen people’s concern for one another and for the living world. Communication that foregrounds extrinsic values – wealth, status, individual achievement – tends to do the opposite. Most journalists are unaware they’re making these choices at all.
There’s also what we call the values perception gap: the widespread tendency to underestimate how much other people care about intrinsic values. The media plays a role in creating and sustaining this gap, and could play an equally significant role in closing it.
Common Cause Foundation has been working with journalists, academics and media professionals to understand this dynamic and develop practical ways to address it. The result is the Values-aware journalism toolkit.
The Values-aware journalism toolkit is a practical resource for journalists and editors who want to understand how the stories they tell shape cultural values – and what they can do differently.
It draws on values research, Common Cause’s own work and insights gathered through our advisory board and pilot partnerships with media organisations. It’s designed to be immediately useful to practising journalists, without requiring a background in social psychology.
Download the toolkit here
Or read it online at valuesawarejournalism.org →
November 2024 – Conference: Values in the Media: How the mainstream media shapes UK cultural values
On November 28th 2024, media professionals gathered at the historic St Ethelburga’s in London to explore the complex relationship between media and cultural values. At the heart of the discussion lay a critical examination of how the UK news media shapes societal priorities – from financial success to community wellbeing and environmental concerns.
We were joined by CNN’s Eliza Anyangwe, ITV’s Jeremy Mathieu, Byline Times’ Hardeep Matharu, and investigative journalist Nafeez Ahmed, who shared their own personal insights and reflections from their diverse experiences working in UK newsrooms.
A full summary of the event is available on our website and we’ll share a video early in the new year. If the project interests you, please join us for our free two-hour online follow up workshop taking place on 23rd January.
Workshops and training
Alongside the research and development work, we’ve been testing and sharing ideas in practice. We’ve delivered a series of online and in-person workshops, both independently and in collaboration with partners, exploring what values-aware journalism looks like from the inside. We’ve spoken at universities and to journalist networks, and run sessions for media professionals wanting to think more critically about the values their work engages. These conversations have been as important to shaping the toolkit as the desk research and they’ve kept the work grounded in the realities of working journalists’ lives.
If you’re interested in running or attending a workshop please do get in touch.
Values-aware journalism toolkit
Working with our advisory board and journalists and editors, we developed the typology framework at the heart of the toolkit, moving from a model for understanding how media currently engages with values through to what transparent, intentional values practice in journalism might look like.
Find out more and download it here.
The Values-Aware Journalism advisory board has shaped this project from the beginning, bringing perspectives from across journalism, academia and media advocacy. Their input was integral to the development of the toolkit.
Amélie Reichmuth
Journalist and media advocate
Dr Chris Roberts
Associate Professor in Department of Journalism and Creative Media, University of Alabama
Denise Baden
Professor of Sustainable Business, Southampton University
Hardeep Matharu
Editor, Byline Times
Kirsty Styles
Journalist and Lecturer, University of Huddersfield
Josh Cockroft
Director of Research and Impact, Climate Spring
Rhodri Davies
Press Officer, United Nations Department of Global Communications
Sam Taylor
PhD student in social psychology, Bath University
Sean Wood
CEO, Positive News
Shirish Kulkarni
Journalist, researcher and community organiser
Simon Hodgson
Responsible Media Forum
Our sincere thanks for former advisory board members Molly Tsitsi Chimhanda, David Eyre and Lucy Stone.
If you want to understand the thinking behind this project, Elsie’s blog As the Murdoch era draws to a close, it’s time for a mainstream media that recognises its role in elevating intrinsic values is a good place to start. Our former colleague Ruth Potts wrote this piece on how mainstream news reporting may contribute to the values perception gap. And Elsie’s more recent blog Bridging the values gap: reimagining journalism through human connection draws on audience research to make the case for why this matters now.
To stay in touch with this work, including future workshops and resources, sign up for updates →
We offer workshops and bespoke sessions for newsrooms, journalism schools and media organisations – drawing on the toolkit and tailored to your context.
We’re particularly interested in working with organisations that want to move beyond awareness into practical, sustained change.
If you work in the media and want to explore what a values-aware approach might look like for your team, we’d love to hear from you.
What’s included:
Cost: