Who Do We Trust Now? Inside the Edelman Trust Barometer at 25
PR Week editor Steve Barrett, left, and Trust Barometer founder, and Edelman CEO, Richard Edelman.
PHOTOS: ERICA BERGER PHOTOGRAPHY. CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL OF ERICA BERGER'S PHOTOS FROM THE EVENT.
A critical discussion on the burgeoning public distrust for government, media, and business—and what communicators can do to regain the public’s trust.
Tuesday, November 18, 2025, 6:30 pm ET
Watch the Recording
The program, part of the Museum’s Looking Back, Moving Forward series, marked the 25th anniversary of the Edelman Trust Barometer with a conversation between Edelman CEO Richard Edelman and PRWeek and Campaign US editorial director Steve Barrett. Against a backdrop of declining trust in institutions worldwide, they traced how the Barometer has evolved from its NGO-business-media-government focus in 2000 to today’s complex “trust gaps” between rich and poor, young and old, developed and developing markets. The discussion explored the role of business as the most trusted institution, the crisis of trust in media and government, the rise of AI and social media, and what all of this means for the next generation of communications professionals.
“Trust has become the currency of leadership. You earn it through action, not promises.”
Thanks to our Sponsors
The PR Museum wishes to recognize the ongoing support of our Founding Partners Edelman and PRSA; our Program Underwriters Burson and APCO Worldwide; and our Sustaining Sponsors, Honeywell, Muck Rack, Enbridge, Zeno, HUNTER, Racepoint Global, Conagra Brands, Page, The Grossman Group, the University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, and The University of Florida.
