By any measure, the media is in crisis. Trust in the news media is at historic lows. Bad actors have hijacked social media platforms to spread false information. Just last Thursday, Facebook and Twitter removed hundreds of accounts tied to misinformation campaigns originating in Russia, Iran and Venezuela. Meanwhile, news outlets including Gannett as well as BuzzFeed, Vice and HuffPo, have been forced by financial pressures to lay off thousands of journalists in the past few weeks.

The situation may seem hopeless. It isn’t — not yet. Media companies, digital giants, and all of us who consume the information they provide can take steps that will make a difference. A new report Tuesday from The Knight Commission on Trust, Media & Democracy makes specific recommendations designed to reverse the tide.

The steps are bold, and some will be controversial. The 27 members of the commission came from Google and Facebook, academia, non-profits and the journalism world (including myself and Gannett/USA TODAY senior director Mizell Stewart). They represented sometimes opposing political affiliations and clashing business models. The discussions were at times tense, with passionate conversations spilling outside of meetings and lasting long into the night at hotel bars. But the recommendations that resulted could have far-reaching impact.

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