Denise Bortree, Ph.D., Penn State University, The Arthur W. Page Center

This weekend America watched as the White House spokesman presented misinformation and then reprimanded the media for reporting facts. This kind of blatant disregard for truth is contributing to plummeting levels of trust in media, government, and business as found in the   Edelman Trust Barometer.

Notable honorees at the IPR Distinguished Lecture series dinner back in November, Charlotte Otto and Pat Ford, both addressed this issue in their acceptance speeches. They wondered at how we find ourselves in a "post-truth" society with a diminished respect for integrity and accuracy. Can we as corporate communicators and public relations professionals help rebuild public trust in communication? Read more.
Spiro Kiousis, Ph.D., University of Florida

The recent inauguration of President Donald Trump marked a historic transition when someone with no political experience now occupies arguably the most powerful position in the world. In explaining the unexpected outcome of the election, many pundits credited Trump's communication effectiveness and ability to directly "reach the people."

However, this may be an overly simplified explanation. What is undeniable is that public relations played a key part during the 2016 Election. A comparison of the two major candidates' public relations efforts along the lines of media relations, donor relations, volunteer relations and social media engagement yield interesting results and some important implications for practitioners. Read more.
Erin Ford, Institute for Public Relations

It's 2017, and trust is at an all-time low. The latest Edelman Trust Barometer revealed that trust is in crisis. The general population's trust in four key institutions - business, government, NGOs and media - has declined considerably, a phenomenon not reported in the segment since Edelman began tracking it in 2012.

Concluding the fall of trust, the Trust Barometer found that 53 percent of respondents believe the current overall system has failed them - it is unfair and offers little hope for the future. "The implications of the global trust crisis are deep and wide-ranging," said Richard Edelman, president and CEO of Edelman. Read more.
Tina McCorkindale, Ph.D., Institute for Public Relations

This guest blog post was originally featured by The Global Alliance.

One of the most powerful global influences on the public relations industry is the rise of smartphones. According to the 2015 Global Mobile Economy Report, h alf of the world's population now has a global subscription, compared to just one in five subscribers 10 years ago. The mobile ecosystem is a tremendous economic driver; in 2014, the mobile industry accounted for 3.8 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP).
 
The PR industry must answer the call and we must be prepared to face a rapidly changing society. Technology has changed the power structure, and public relations must be prepared to deal with these significant societal changes both on a local and global level. Read more.  
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