Starting small
You don't need to transform your entire practice at once. Values-aware journalism builds gradually – one story, one conversation, one connection at a time.
Complete the self-assessment (Tool 1). Start to notice values patterns in your own and other people's work. Choose one story and apply the story-level checklist (Tool 2).
Experiment with one alternative framing. Have one conversation with a colleague about values. Document what you're learning. Read Common Cause Foundation's resources at commoncausefoundation.org.
Find two to three other journalists to form a values circle with. Build evidence of the difference that values awareness makes. Reflect on changes in your practice. Connect with Common Cause Foundation.
Building networks
Common Cause Foundation has been working on values and social change for many years, with organisations across the charitable, cultural and media sectors. We can connect you with a broader values awareness movement, share resources and training, and support you in taking this work forward.
In the UK, we are currently working with Positive News and Byline Times on what editorial values transparency looks like in practice. We will share learning from those partnerships as they develop.
Contact Common Cause Foundation if you'd like to connect with others working in this space – whether you're a freelancer, newsroom leader, or working on structural change in UK media.
Acknowledgements
This toolkit builds on decades of research by Common Cause Foundation and many others exploring values, framing and social change. It draws on conversations with journalists, editors, and media workers across the UK and international media sector who generously shared their experiences and perspectives.
Special thanks to advisory board members, past and present, of the Values in Media Project: Amélie Reichmuth, Dr Chris Roberts, Denise Baden, Hardeep Matharu, Lucy Stone, Rhodri Davies, Sam Taylor, Sean Wood, Shirish Kulkarni, Simon Hodgson, Molly Tsitsi Chimhanda, David Eyre.
Thanks also to all at the Responsible Media Forum for their early conversations and collaborations around this work and our pilot partners Positive News and Byline Times. Finally, much gratitude goes to Sean Wood for his detailed and generous editorial review, and Kirsty Styles for her sustained thought partnership, editorial rigour and commitment to this work throughout.
Contributing to this work
This toolkit is a living document. We want to hear from you – with examples of values-aware journalism in practice, strategies for working within constraints, evidence of impacts, questions and challenges, and suggestions for what would be most useful.
Get in touch at: info@commoncausefoundation.org
Final thoughts
Values-aware journalism isn't about getting it 'right' or judging current practice. It's about becoming more aware of the choices already present in your work and taking the opportunity to develop your practice through intention and continuous learning.
This work asks something real of you. For your attention, honesty and a willingness to sit with discomfort if and when your practice and your values don't quite line up. That takes courage, especially within institutions and systems that are not yet set up to support it.
But you are not doing this alone. Every journalist who asks these questions, experiments with a different frame, or has one honest conversation with a colleague is part of something larger. We are building this together and we are genuinely glad you are here.
Download the toolkit
The Values-aware journalism toolkit is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International licence. You are free to share and adapt this material for non-commercial purposes, provided you give appropriate credit to Common Cause Foundation and indicate if changes are made.
Values-aware journalism – a practical toolkit
58 pages · 7 tools · Written and developed by Common Cause Foundation, April 2026 · CC BY-NC 4.0
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Common Cause Foundation
We build the evidence, tools and partnerships that help civil society, media and culture better reflect what most people actually care about. This toolkit is part of that work.