Abstract
As the COVID-19 pandemic began spreading across Europe the government implemented a public information campaign that pursued an inclusive, consensual, publicly facing and science-led approach. Public support for this approach was widespread, suggesting that the key to public trust is clear and consistent explanation, a commitment to the needs of all citizens, and the suspension of partisan or selective forms of communication management. After the first wave, the government reverted to ingrained habits—partisan briefing of favoured news sources and the prioritisation of political needs over public needs. As the threat returned in December 2020, the danger to life again challenged the government’s fixation with spin, and post-truth. What does this say about the ingredients of public trust?
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Notes
- 1.
After the final daily briefing on 23 June, a No . 10 spokesman announced that: “We’ll continue to hold press conferences to coincide with significant announcements, including with the PM.” See https://www.civilserviceworld.com/professions/article/daily-coronavirus-press-conferences-scrapped-after-pm-unveils-easing-of-lockdown-rules
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Garland, R. (2021). Coronavirus Communication: Clear, Consistent and Comprehensive?. In: Government Communications and the Crisis of Trust. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77576-6_11
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