Trust is the foundation of any personal or professional relationship. Trust in government, major institutions, big business, non-government organizations and the media has been consistently eroding for years. But trust is imperative for resolving conflict and building consensus. Here you can find our viewpoints, musings, and curated content about this critically important topic of (re)building trust, particularly as it relates to trust in government and institutions. Topics range from why people don’t trust to how we can help to rebuild trust. These handpicked articles seek to educate and illuminate. We look forward to hearing what you think.
Anyone working in the public health space in the U.S. is facing interesting times for the foreseeable future. The newly installed, thoroughly unqualified, top health czar is a vaccine opponent, propagandist, scam artist, brain worm host and roadkill enthusiast.
I think of him as the Tommy Tuberville of public health. ...
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Trust in government and previously trusted institutions is lower than it used to be. People’s trust in basic science and expertise is also down. COVID-19 pandemic changes and confusion exacerbated these problems and skepticism about science continues, which makes it tough for scientists and technical experts to communicate facts and ...
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The age of weaponized propaganda that we’re lucky enough to be living through obviously isn’t going anywhere soon. It’s proven effective for nefarious actors bent on manipulating public opinion to get what they want. I’m not talking about the infotainment media darlings, influencers, and outlets that are so untrustworthy that ...
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For news junkies like me, these are the times that try (wo)men’s souls. We’re at the height of the most contentious political campaign of our lives and the news business is in a ratings, readership and ad revenue frenzy. Because of the unprecedented level of lies and propaganda routinely ...
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It’s a common and sadly effective tactic to label your adversaries as less than human. Propaganda and the labeling of “others” to shape public opinion goes back to the Roman Empire when Julius Caesar called the Germanic tribes just a bunch of “poopy-pants.” (I paraphrase here.) It was ...
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Game theory applied to trust makes for an interesting exercise for a rather squishy but crucially important concept. Much of the work that we do (and you do, whether you realize it or not) requires the growth and development of trust. Play along, cheat a little, and watch how this ...
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Intentional disinformation, lies, fake news and just plain bull$%&# will be a bigger part of our future than it’s been part of our past, and artificial intelligence (AI) makes it easier and more widespread. As useful and beneficial as AI can and will be, everything has consequences – AI makes ...
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Hubris or arrogance – closely related, but subtly different emotions – are one of the biggest impediments to (re)building and maintaining trust in people who need to know that you’re credible. The challenge comes when highly qualified, well-intentioned people need to relate to those who don’t have that knowledge and ...
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We talk about the loss of trust in expertise and institutions and it begs the obvious question of what we can do to get it back. The answer to that question is a little more involved than this very brief answer, but it’s not a bad place to start. Be ...
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The results are in and the news isn’t good for political leaders. According to a recent and expansive U.S. News & World Report/Harris Poll survey, 72% of people don’t trust them. But on the encouraging side, people also said exactly what it will take for them to earn the trust ...
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