Earned Trust vs. Assumed Trust

With the news coming down that the Dallas paper, the Dallas Morning News, will be raising their prices to make up for slumping stock, I'm brought back to the argument over what options they, as in the newspaper industry, have. A quick look at the website makes it obvious that they need design help, and they're still not shy about assaulting the audience with pop-ups, pop-unders and interstitials. Trust me, they're good people over there, but the experience has lagged behind a need to add to the bottom line. But even the superior experience of the New York Times and its website doesn't seem to do much for their pocketbook.

Much of the answer, of course, is plainly the distribution of attention. Only so many eyeballs and the pie has been split too many ways already. But I think there's something to this idea of assumed trust versus earned trust. Newspapers are built on this idealized version of truth, the "we report the facts" mentality. They are trusted because they have trust.

Bloggers on the other hand operate on this other level. Younger folks approach the news with a greater level of skepticism, and the generic "blogosphere" is less trusted than the more traditional news vehicles. There is no assumed trust, only the trust earned over time between a writer and a reader. Or even a reader and a reader's friend. The bottom line is that this earned trust is hard to receive, but also much more personal. And these personal bonds between a writer and a blog reader are much more difficult to break. So attention continues to move there.

The same thing's happening in the ad industry now. The traditional marketing dollar is reliant on this old model of credibility. I buy this time slot on television because it affords me not just some level of awareness, but also a level of trust. Or I get this celebrity endorser because their recognition of the company lends validity to the message. I'm just not so sure this "assumed trust" is relevant anymore. Why settle on an assumption when taking the time to earn it can mean so much more?

So no, I don't have any answers for the folks over at the Morning News. But they have to find a way to change the trajectory and connect with this next, paper-less generation. Otherwise it'll be easier than ever for someone else to swoop in and take their place.