VettNews offers corrections management tool to Mutual Insurance Company Limited Insureds
The New York-based startup, Vett Inc. is offering its VettNews Cx product to any Mutual Insurance member during 2021 for free and then for a discounted rate in future years. Cx is a workflow automation tool that improves the corrections management and reader feedback process for news publishers.
The public trust in the news media is at a historic low. Pew Research found 68 percent of Americans say they lack confidence in news organizations’ willingness to admit when they have made a mistake. In a Knight Foundation report in 2018, nearly 90 percent of citizens said their trust in news organizations depends on the news orgs commitment to accuracy and willingness to openly correct mistakes. A more recent study by Knight and Gallup shows that while 81 percent of Americans believe the news media is critical or very important to democracy, a majority of readers are worried the news media is biased or pushing an agenda. The corrections process has often been a missed opportunity for publishers to engage with readers until now.
In response to this dilemma, the journalists and technologists at Vett Inc. built a simple, effective tool to help new publishers to improve their process of correcting mistakes and to involve the public in doing so. This tool aims to help improve audience loyalty and trust, which are vital factors in audiences paying for news subscriptions.
“we’re excited to partner with VettNews as they introduce this pivotal development to the industry. Paul and his team bring critical experience and cutting edge technology to the table to reduce risk and improve correction management”
“At Mutual, we work to be more than an insurance policy to the clients we serve, so we’re excited to partner with VettNews as they introduce this pivotal development to the industry. Paul and his team bring critical experience and cutting edge technology to the table to reduce risk and improve correction management response capabilities at a time when it has never been more important,” Joanne Richardson, President/CEO of Mutual Insurance Company Limited.
The VettNews Cx tool is currently funded by a Knight Foundation grant and is currently in test use at more than a dozen college and professional news outlets including the student newspapers at West Virginia University, Bethel University in Minnesota and at The Tampa Bay Times.
“It’s an honor to serve news publishers who use Mutual Insurance Company Limited for their libel insurance,” said Paul Glader, co-founder of Vett Inc. “Our Cx Tool offers these leading news publishers an important new method to deepen the trust relationship with their readers in this new digital era."
The VettNews team installs a block of code that places a button at the bottom of every article to invite reader feedback on factual accuracy, spelling mistakes, context and bias. The feedback flows into the Cx dashboard, which allows newsrooms to improve the speed, order and efficiency of the correction and feedback process. It also has potential to reduce newsroom liability by documenting and professionalizing response to complaints. The product has communication tools built-in to improve the communication with readers in this process. Interested publishers can see an explanation and demonstration of VettNews Cx from the Investigative Reporters & Editors conference in 2020 here.
Vett Inc. is a Delaware C-Corp that is led by journalists and technologists including Paul Glader, a former reporter at The Wall Street Journal and journalism professor at The King’s College in NYC. Vett is a Swedish word that means “savvy.” The team at Vett Inc. / VettNews have received funding and mentorship from the NYC Media Lab Combine accelerator, the Knight Foundation and other support and partnership from Trusting News, the Society of Professional Journalists and the Feliciano Center at Montclair State University.
Mutual Insurance Company Limited is a leading provider of libel insurance for North American news publishers. Mutual’s libel program protects publishers and broadcasters from most of the perils that face 21st century publishers and broadcasters. It was incorporated in Bermuda in 1961 and is regulated by the Bermuda Monetary Authority. It is rated A- (Excellent) by AM Best. https://www.mutualinsurance.bm
Contact: Paul Glader at VettNews; Paul@VettNews.com; 347-933-3176; @VettNews on Twitter; www.VettNews.com.
