Credibility Gap Spills into Business Arena
Wed, Jul. 29, 2026
By Steve Barnes
A new Burson report finds that a general lack of trust in social and political institutions has spilled over into the business arena.
| Category: Disinformation | Return to Latest News |
A new Burson report finds that a general lack of trust in social and political institutions has spilled over into the business arena.
The split between the growing number of sources that audiences can go to for information and the increasing consolidation at the biggest outlets in the media industry is resulting in an environment that poses significant challenges for communicators, according to a new study from Global Strategy Group.
There is a key distinction between research built from predicting likely answers based on known data and research that measures real human thoughts and feelings.
Gregg Feistman, M.A., Professor of Practice in Public Relations at Temple University and former corporate communications executive, joins Taking the Lead to discuss the frameworks leaders can use to determine when to speak up or stay silent.
People often mistake visibility for success in communications. They see the headline, the interview, the op-ed, the viral post, or the policy outcome and assume that is the work. It isn't.
Today, a single social media post can move billions of dollars, influence elections and reshape public opinion within minutes. Long before America became a military or economic power, America became a messaging power.
Your buyers are asking AI about you. And what AI says about your brand depends on what you’ve earned.
Why discovering the truth is always our first priority.
Deepfakes have crossed a critical threshold from an emerging concern to an effective tool, where any public figure is now a target for AI-enabled reputational manipulation. Here’s what PR pros need to know.
The philanthropy sector appears to be losing its position on the moral high ground, according to the Global Risk Advisory Council’s Reputation Risk Index for Q1 2026.
In communications, where trust is earned and lost in moments, human judgment, experience and responsibility will define the future far more than artificial intelligence ever can.
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| Doug Simon, CEO of D S Simon Media, and Adeena Fried, Executive Vice President of Health & Wellness at HAVAS Red, discussed how AI search, large language models, and evolving newsroom workflows are changing the value, and the lifecycle, of earned media. |
Younger employees are more likely to receive AI training in the workplace as well as guidance for using AI tools, according to a recent report.
Why trusted and experienced public relations counselors can never be replaced by artificial intelligence.
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| In a recent “PR’s Top Pros Talk…” podcast episode, Doug Simon, CEO of D S Simon Media, and Julianna Sheridan, Vice President of PR at Scratch Marketing + Media, explored how communications professionals can effectively navigate high-pressure situations. |
Even though a majority of consumers are turning to social media as their preferred source of breaking news, issues surrounding trust and the quality of social media content remain a concern for many of them.
In today’s misinformation economy, the need for consumer brands to adopt an always-on communications strategy has never been greater.
Much is made of the importance of proper planning to anticipate and manage a crisis—but what matters most is understanding how decisions will be made once the crisis is underway.
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