With information overwhelming social media users, it’s important for media organizations to ensure their audience can trust their reporting. Questions like, “How do people decide what news is trustworthy?” or “How can journalists influence what users consume and share?” have come up repeatedly at public forums that WITF journalists have participated in.
To help answer those questions, WITF is took part in the Trusting News project – an effort to create strategies designed to demonstrate the credibility and trustworthiness of journalism. In the links above, we explain our editorial process, we demonstrate our approach to ensure our stories are as balanced, accessible and responsive as possible, and we describe our ethics and funding.
The days of journalism’s one-way street of simply producing stories for the public have long been over. Now, it’s time to find better ways to interact with you and ensure we meet your high standards of what a credible media organization should be.
News Coverage
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Dolly Parton
She was about to perform as Dolly Parton when she learned Dolly had died
Karen Hester was minutes from taking the stage at Totem Pole Playhouse when she learned Parton had died, turning a tribute performance into an emotional farewell.By Asia Tabb -
York dedicates street to MLK Jr., ‘This dream has a new generation’
On the 63rd anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, the York community celebrated a street dedication to honor and continue the activist’s legacy. -
Rachel McDevitt
Central Pa. food banks see demand surge as SNAP eligibility rules tighten
Central Pennsylvania’s food banks are seeing increasing demand following eligibility changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, that are kicking people off the program and causing confusion. Pennsylvanians enrolled in SNAP decreased by 11% in the past year, from 1.96 million in May 2025 to 1.75 million as of June 2026, according to the state Department of Human Services.
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Godofredo A. Vásquez
Pa. makes voter registration data more accessible to the public
Pennsylvania now has a visual way to track how counties take care of their voter rolls. As part of a multi-year push to make election data more accessible to the public, Pennsylvania’s Department of State launched a new voter registration data dashboard.
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Images courtesy of Janelle Stelson and Justin Douglas campaigns
Janelle Stelson gets endorsement from Democratic opponent in tight Pa. Congressional race
Moderate Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, Janelle Stelson, received endorsement from her former primary opponent in Pennsylvania’s 10th congressional district.
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Seth Wenig
Nuclear regulator prepares to abandon a decades-old radiation safety rule
A push by President Trump could mean the elimination of a safety standard designed to keep radiation exposure as low as possible.
By Geoff Brumfiel, NPR -
Want to explore the outdoors? A new guidebook can help you find the right trail in Central Pa
By Asia Tabb -
Ringo H.W. Chiu
Look up! Here’s when to see Thursday’s lunar eclipse in Central Pa.
Central Pennsylvania, along with most of the country, will see a partial lunar eclipse tonight that will give the moon a reddish color often called a “blood moon.”
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AP Photo/Noah Berger
Meta, states including Pa. agree to $17 billion settlement in child safety trial
The social media giant also agreed to make sweeping changes to Instagram and Facebook.
By John Ruwitch, NPR -
Susan Angstadt / For Spotlight PA
1000s of affordable housing subsidies will end in the next 5 years. A new database will help Pa. get in front of the issue.
The database was included in the state budget deal lawmakers passed in JulyBy Charlotte Keith of Spotlight PA -
Jae C. Hong
DHS acknowledges the noncitizen numbers it touted on voter rolls were inflated
The Trump administration claimed to have found 250,000 noncitizens on the voter rolls in four states. But the agency’s communications with states since then indicate that data was preliminary.
By Jude Joffe-Block, Miles Parks for NPR -
Haley O’Brien
Harrisburg residents call for Front Street safety changes after pedestrian death
Loved ones and neighbors grieving the loss of a community member are asking Harrisburg officials to make changes after a woman was hit and killed while crossing a crosswalk in the city.
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Commonwealth Media Services
Gov. Shapiro has 16-point polling, $16 million fundraising advantages over State Treasurer Garrity in race for governor
Pennsylvania historically prefers to reelect its governors with large margins, and Gov. Josh Shapiro seems set to fit the mold, according to new polling. In a head-to-head with state Treasurer Stacy Garrity, Pennsylvanians prefer Shapiro 55% to 39%, with only two months to go until the midterm election day.
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Haley O’Brien
Measles in Pennsylvania: What to know about symptoms, vaccines and exposure
By Staff -
Jordan Wilkie
LGBT Center of Central PA names interim director amid financial struggles
The LGBT Center of Central PA has named an interim executive director as it works to stabilize its finances amid declining revenue and uncertainty around federal funding. Current director Amber Barnes, who was in the role for two years, will leave the position Friday, and Chief Financial Officer Michael Tschop will take over.
WITF’s political coverage will be biased toward two things: democracy and facts. We’ll create a citizens’ agenda of issues you want candidates to discuss, and base our coverage on those issues, not on candidates. We will be transparent and make decisions thoughtfully. We will center democracy in our coverage, so you’ll know when it’s being threatened or supported. We will avoid horse-race coverage. We will report facts to counter spreaders of mis- and disinformation. We will speak truth to power and follow the facts wherever they go.
The Morning Agenda – a podcast from WITF
Each weekday morning, The Morning Agenda will keep you informed, amused, enlightened and up-to-date on what’s happening in central Pennsylvania and the rest of this great commonwealth.
