The third crisis of public trust

Quote
“Advertisements... contain the only truths to be relied on in a newspaper.”  Thomas Jefferson, 1819

News

Today’s Economist writes about the third great crisis of trust in British democracy in as many years: first the banks, then members of parliament, and now the news media.  Rupert Murdoch’s media empire has come under intense public scrutiny for its unacceptable journalistic practices, sparked by information that the phone of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowland was hacked for the News of the World.

This unravelling story reveals the power of the media over both police and politicians, leading to all three institutions being vulnerable to dishonesty and corruption.

Every society is built on trust, and every person needs to be trustworthy.  Yet greater integrity is expected from politicians, the police and the media, which is why their failure to meet the public’s ethical standards is so distressing.  Not that those standards are always clear or consistent; newspapers publish what their readers wish to see, reinforce their prejudices and titillate their curiosity about the private lives of public figures.  But when an invisible line is crossed, approval can turn quickly to indignation and outrage, which is causing the seismic cracks at the heart of Murdoch’s News Corporation.

Why is trust so important?  It is what prevents us from having to do everything ourselves.  Trust is believing someone else will act correctly, and so is inherently relational; trust enables us to hand our children over to teachers, give our vote to a politician, relax while the pilot flies the plane, put our money in a bank account, and share roads with other motorists.  We do these things without anxiety because we believe that the others involved share our values, will act responsibly and look after our interests.

With any loss of trust, relational capital diminishes. Society becomes poorer as more time is taken drawing up detailed contracts and regulations, more funds are spent on security, surveillance and policing, and health declines because people grow more anxious. 

Trust matters in a relational world; that is how ‘a little bit of phone hacking’ can ultimately bring a media empire to its knees.

Read on...

Mark Scholefield authored a report reviewing the value of trust in the world of work and business; it explains the benefits of trust, the influence of culture, and explores when trust is not an asset.  You can download “A Guide to Trust” from the Relationships Foundation website here.

Walk the talk

It is easy now to point the finger at unscrupulous journalists, but are we also reinforcing the gossip culture behind their deeds?  We may not read tabloid newspapers, but whenever we listen in to a conversation, or glance at someone else’s email or letter, that’s also an invasion of privacy.  Can we clean up journalism without addressing our own habits?

The last word
From the Bible, Luke chapter 16, verse 10: “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”