Communication in the Age of Suspicion

This book explores relationships between trust and various media genres and forms from the end of World War I to the present day.

Communication in the Age of Suspicion explores and interrogates the relationship between media and trust. It begins by examining the decline of trust in key institutions and the relationship between Trust Studies and Media Studies. Fourteen international contributions follow, focusing on a variety of genres and examining a number of media forms. Can we speak of The End of Trust? The book concludes by delineating three emergent themes, before outlining implications for media communication and future directions for research in this Age of Suspicion.

VIAN BAKIR is Senior Lecturer in Media, Culture and Communication, Cardiff School of Creative and Cultural Industries, University of Glamorgan, UK. She has published in the fields of environmental risk communication, policy-agenda-setting, dataveillance and ethics, grounded theory and cultural strategy, and European identity and the media.
DAVID M BARLOW is Senior Lecturer in Media, Culture and Communication and directs the Centre for Media and Culture in Small Nations at the University of Glamorgan, UK. He is an Honorary Visiting Research Fellow in the School of Critical Enquiry at La Trobe University, and has published widely on community communication and on media in Wales.

Acknowledgements * Notes on Contributors * PART 1: COMMUNICATION IN THE AGE OF SUSPICION * The Age of Suspicion–V.Bakir & D.Barlow * The decline in trust – An issue of societal concern * Overview of book’s structure * Notes * Exploring Relationships between Trust Studies and Media Studies–V.Bakir & D.Barlow * Trust studies – The growth of a field * What is trust? * What does trust do? * The emergence of trust studies in media studies? * Conclusion * Notes * PART 2: MEDIA AND EROSION OF TRUST * Origins of the Problem of Trust: Propaganda during the First World War–M.Redley * Propaganda during the First World War * Implications for trust * Notes * The Erosion of Trust in Australian Public Life–J.Archer * Media rhethoric and practice * Political public relations and the advantages of political incumbancy * The Palmer Report * Accountability and responsibility * Notes * Manufacturing Authenticity in a Small Nation: The Case of Independent Local Radio in Wales–D.Barlow * False promises * Slippery regulation * Tuning for consumption * Local no more * Conclusion * Notes * Terrorism and the Microdynamics of Trust–B.Richards * Fear and protection * The media discourse of terrorism * Trust and discourses of terrorism * Notes * Risk, Advice and Trust: How Service Journalism Fails its Audience–J.Collins * Food scares and social rationality * Service journalism * Food scares as service journalism * Risk, trust and public journalism * Conclusion * Notes * ‘Trust Me, I’m A Doctor’: MMR and the Politics Of Suspicion–C.Critcher * The MMR narrative * MMR accounts: Three ideal types * No news is good news: The role of the media * Suspicious minds * Conclusion: Beyond reasonable doubt * Notes * New Media Enterprise in the Age of Suspicion–G.Allard * The Internet: Network of networks or virtual supply chain? * A life in music * Conclusion * Notes * Trust, Data-mining and Instantaneity: The Creation of the Online Accountable Consumer–A.McStay * Social ontology: Trust and its relationship to technology * Dataveillance and theoretical implications for trust of CRM strategies * Real-time feedback and the commercial environment of instantaneity * Conclusion * Notes * PART 3: MEDIA AND BUILDING TRUST * Risk Communication, Television News and Trust Generation: The Utility of Ethos–V.Bakir * The risk issue * Ethos analysis * The use and utility of ethos? * Notes * The Media’s Role in a Transition Society: From Public Lies to Public Trust?–K.Tampere * Historical context * Trust and society * Media and totalitarian society * Media and transition society * Trust and the media * Conclusion * Notes * Trust in a Time of Crisis: The Mass Media as a Guardian of Trust–A.Mehta * Defining trust * Studying the mass media as a guardian of trust * Case study: Australian medical indemnity policy crisis * Discussion and conclusions * Notes * ‘It Was a Mascara Runnin’ Kinda Day’: Oprah Winfrey, Confession, Celebrity and the Formation of Trust–S.Wilson * Celebrity and the ordinary * Oprah as confessing subject * Celebrity and the engendering of trust * Notes * Branding Trust: The Ideology of Making Truth Claims Through Interactive Media–J.Jones * The promise of technological transcedence * Truth claims * Exploiting the teleology of young media users * Indymedia – The case for trust * Low mediation solution * Indymedia – The case against trust * Big Brother – The case for trust * Fear of mediation * Big Brother – The case against trust * Talk back! * Notes * The Technology of Distrust–G.Gumpert & S.J.Drucker * Probe #1: The truth is what you create * Social contract * Probe #2: The ceremonial bugler * Media and the social contract * Probe#3: Verifying the improbable – From Lumière to Armstrong to Mars * The media contract * The camera eye * Is it real? * From restructuring to control * Controlling the governed and reading the governing * Conclusion * Notes * PART 4: CONCLUSIONS: TRUST AND THE MEDIA * The End of Trust?–V.Bakir & D.Barlow * Trust matters * Illusory nature of new media * Ways forward * Notes * References * Index