This episode examines the crucial category of trust in communication and reputation with especial reference to the findings of the Edelman Trust Barometer for 2021 [https://www.edelman.com/trust/2021-trust-barometer]. The findings of this survey are alarming, being summarized as 'information bankruptcy'. Unlike national images, trust seems volatile with the highest degree of trust shifting from NGOs to 'people like the audience' to employers and businesses over the twenty years that the barometer has surveyed publics around the world. Simon points out that the decline of trust in government presents a crisis for democracy. Nick softens the blow by arguing that trust in local government is increasing. The pair consider the impact of COVID on tr ...