Who we are:

Newspaper Matters is managed by the Newspaper Matters Foundation, founded in 2010 and with headquarters in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. It can be contacted at the e-mail address: information[at]newspapermatters.org

What Newspaper Matters is:

Newspaper Matters is an online platform that promotes the critical analysis of content published in newspapers from the perspective of journalistic ethics (Responsibility, Integrity, Accuracy and Independence), as standards applied globally for the performance of quality journalism.

Newspaper Matters aims to generate a critical mass of articles analyzed by qualified readers of newspapers. These analyses are based on the knowledge of the subject, provision of evidence, deep reflection and citizen participation. Newspaper Matters aims to facilitate the correct understanding of news brought by newspapers in any country in the world.

Newspaper Matters stimulates new forms of interaction between all parties involved in the "informational ecosystem" (Readers, Newspapers and referred to Third Parties). Thus, Newspaper Matters introduces a new concept of an online reader community organized around news being analyzed and which we call Civic Platforms.

Using Newspaper Matters, registered and properly identified readers can analyze articles of their interest which have been published by the newspapers. Registered readers can provide "evidence" (documents, photos, audios, videos, links to external multimedia resources as YouTube, etc) that question or support the position of the newspaper in relation to the analyzed article.

Other readers, also correctly registered, and with the intention of providing more points of view, can provide evidence as well to the original analysis. Our idea is to take maximum advantage of citizen participation in the construction of the informational reality.

After analysis of the newspaper article in terms of Responsibility, Accuracy, Integrity and Independence, the reader responsible for the analysis can rate or assess the newspaper in relation to these four categories.

The reader responsible for the analysis can also share the analysis with multiple social networks or even create Civic Platforms around the topic to generate discussion among the community.

Any visitor to the platform can search for and read the analyses of readers, the newspapers’ retorts and the Thirds Parties’replies from a single screen when they have been posted.

Any visitor can also access the display of the evidence (documents, photos, video, audio, other multimedia resources, etc.). He can also express his support or not (rating) of the analysis the author made of the article in relation to Responsibility, Accuracy, Integrity and Independence.

On the other hand, any newspaper or magazine may register at Newspaper Matters and exercise their right to reply to the analysis that readers make of the articles they publish. They can also add "evidence" if they deem it appropriate to explain their position.

Finally, any Third Party to which has been referred to in an article or analysis, whether being an individual or a company, can also register at Newspaper Matters and exercise its right to reply to the analysis published by a reader and/or to the position of the newspaper. It can also provide "evidence" if it so deems appropriate to explain its position.

With all the parties registered correctly, a sophisticated system of notifications (configurable by each type of user) keeps all parties involved in the informative ecosystem (Readers, Newspapers and Third Parties concerned) on the activities of the platform that have their respective interests.

For the first time, thanks to Newspaper Matters, a more balanced information ecosystem between readers of newspapers, their newspapers and referred to third parties is offered, using traditional practices of professional journalism such as letters to the director, the right to reply and global ethical standards used by the professionals of quality journalism, and to which is added the potential of a social platform with online citizen participation.

The objectives of this platform:

• Encourage the quality, promotion, marketing and consumption of newspapers, regardless of current or future platforms.
• Strengthen the role of quality journalism as an essential element in the development and consolidation of democratic societies.
• Promote the habit of critical and comparative analysis of information published both online and offline.
• Stimulate and facilitate more direct interaction with newspapers.
• Encourage serious and thoughtful citizen participation with newspapers as well as the commitment of readers to quality journalism.
• Defend free speech as an exercise of great civic responsibility.