Information Apocalypse, Part VII: Competence and Ethics

Just days before the Davos International Economic Forum in January, global public relations firm Edelman Communications released the 2020 Trust Barometer. The result showed trust in institutions at record lows. CEO Richard Edelman described the results as presenting a paradox between increases in economic performance and the lifting of large numbers of people out of poverty against the record low trust in institutions. He attributes several factors such as concerns over “corporate malfeasance, government corruption, [and] fake news.” The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has done little to allay these concerns. If anything, perceptions of incompetence and a lack of ethical behavior appear to have gotten stronger.

Skepticism and mistrust have been growing despite generally good economic news over the past several years. This lack of trust is at the heart of the Information Apocalypse, now deeply embedded in all democratic institutions.