You may have noticed a small change: Since 30 July, there has been a small, black “T” at the end of an article on our website, combined with the words “The Trust Project”.

The symbol is the visible sign of a review process that the Luxembourg Times, together with all Mediahuis Luxembourg publications, has undergone in recent months.

Editorial procedures and guidelines are analysed and evaluated according to a standard developed by the Trust Project Foundation. The “T” seal of quality is awarded to media titles that have successfully completed this process.

The symbol “T” is the visible sign of a review process that the Luxembourg Times has undergone in recent months 

Competing with new sources of information

For years, traditional media have been in fierce competition with new sources of information that do not always operate according to journalistic principles, above all social media. It is therefore all the more important for the newsrooms of quality media to differentiate themselves from these platforms.

Which sources are used? How are facts checked and errors corrected?

The need for verified news is particularly strong in times when major changes are taking place in the world. The flood of news and the publication of content that is created with the help of – or even entirely by – artificial intelligence are further intensifying the phenomenon.

Many media users are finding it increasingly difficult to recognise trustworthy, credible sources and distinguish them from dubious, unverified information.

The result: trust in the media as a whole is declining, and has been for years. According to the Digital News Report 2025, reader trust in major markets such as Germany and the UK has fallen by 15% and 16% respectively over the past ten years. When asked “Do you trust the media most of the time”, fewer than one in two people in these countries answered “yes”. In the US, the figure is as low as 30%.

What readers want from the media was also determined in the survey. There are four main requirements: editorial independence, accuracy, truthfulness in reporting, and transparency in journalistic work.

How the Trust Project supports readers

This is precisely where the Trust Project comes in.

The initiative was founded in 2014 by American science journalist Sally Lehrman to help publications around the world strengthen trust in journalism. Among other things, Lehrman taught journalism ethics at Santa Clara University in California. The Trust Project was developed with the aim of promoting transparent journalistic practices and helping readers to recognise reliable news sources.

Hundreds of media companies around the world have joined this initiative in recent years, including the BBC, The Economist and the German Press Agency (dpa). For the past year, the media brands of Mediahuis Luxembourg have been under review by the Trust Project, together with other titles from the Mediahuis Group, such as the Aachener Zeitung, NRC and the Irish Independent.

The “Trust Indicators”

A central tool of the initiative are the so-called “Trust Indicators”. These are eight criteria that newsrooms must observe and fulfil before they receive the Trust Project’s seal of approval. Mediahuis Luxembourg’s media for over a year underwent this process. Journalistic standards of the newsroom were reviewed, evaluated and adjusted where necessary.

For the Mediahuis Luxembourg’s different media brands – including the Luxembourg Times, Luxemburger Wort, Virgule, Contacto and Télécran – the project was also an opportunity to scrutinise and harmonise their working methods. Today, all Mediahuis titles work according to the same best practices, which are now documented online.

The Trust Project’s eight trust indicators primarily serve the goal of making journalistic quality recognisable for the user. As a result, editorial teams must repeatedly ask themselves a series of questions that are relevant to the reader: Why and how are articles researched? Which sources were used? Who are the authors? What is their expertise? How is information verified? Are all relevant voices heard? How are errors corrected? Are there conflicts of interest in the reporting? Who finances the editorial team? How can a reader contact the editorial team?

Media that want to take part in the Trust Project must develop and implement answers to all of these questions. In future, you willl see more references to the Trust Project in various places on our website. Under each article, a box will link to feedback options and pages providing more information on how we work.

The Luxembourg Times handbook of journalism: This page documents all the information about the Trust Project and the editorial team’s journalistic standards.

Give feedback: The feedback@luxtimes.lu email address allows readers to report errors or pass on tips. Messages sent to this e-mail address will reach the editorial team directly.

Article types: Some articles are have a specific label above the headline. For example, these distinguish reviews and opinon pieces from report and analyses. The complete list of our article types can be viewed online.

AI guidelines: The editorial team uses AI tools to support routine work. The criteria it uses can also be viewed online.

How Mediahuis journalists create transparency

In “The Luxembourg Times handbook of journalism”, we explain the basics of the work of journalists in the Mediahuis newsroom. One of the main aims is to create transparency wherever it is important for the assessment of journalistic quality. This includes questions about the media house itself, such as the role of advertising and press aid in the financing of individual titles, as well as the ownership structure of the publishing house.

Hundreds of media houses around the world have joined this initiative in recent years

Above all, however, the site explains the journalistic standards according to which the editorial team works. Independence is a basic prerequisite for balanced reporting. Which sources are used? How are facts checked and errors corrected? How does the editorial team conduct its research? What does the editorial team do to ensure that different perspectives across social, ideological and demographic differences are taken into account in reporting?

Readers also want to know who is responsible for news and commentary. This is why all articles are usually labelled with sources, be it the name of the author, the editor responsible or the name of a news agency. Each author has a profile so that the reader can find out at any time which journalist has written an article and who has produced a video or podcast.

This page documents all the guidelines according to which the Mediahuis editorial teams work. 

Transparency also includes an explanation of the gender distribution in the editorial team. 

All corrections made to articles by the editorial team are listed on a separate page. 

Corrections are made both in the text and labelled at the end of the article. 

The editorial team uses these keywords to help readers recognise important article types. The definitions comply with the Trust Project’s transparency requirements. 

The article formats appear in the header above the main headline of certain articles.  

References to the Trust Project and the editorial guidelines can be found under each article, in newsletters or in the show notes of podcasts and video reports.  

An important part of transparency are statements on the financing of journalism, in particular press aid, and the independence of the editorial offices. 

The use of artificial intelligence has its own chapter in the handbook. The editorial teams at Mediahuis already use various AI tools in their daily work. These include software for translating texts, for example. In all cases, however, it must be ensured that journalists have control and responsibility for the publication of editorial content. This basic rule is explained in the editorial guidelines, as is the handling of anonymous sources or reporting on minors. and vulnerable groups.

If you have any questions about the Trust Project or suggestions on how the editorial team at the Luxembourg Times can create transparency in its reporting, we would be delighted to receive your messages, comments and suggestions via the e-mail address feedback@luxtimes.lu.

Further information

The Digital News Report 2025 is published by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford.

Information on the trust indicators and more details on The Trust Project are available on its website.