The Trust Shift

A newsletter discussing the changing trust dynamics that are transforming journalism, leadership, and modern communication, and what it means for anyone who needs to build trust with the public today.

Latest Articles

content creators

Jul 16, 2026

•

6 min read

The Assignment Desk Has Migrated

Steve Staeger didn’t leave TV to become a creator. He became one inside the building, and his audience became his source network.

communications

The Most Expensive Two Words in Journalism

Jun 25, 2026

•

5 min read

The Most Expensive Two Words in Journalism

“No comment” responses from sources are no longer a benign industry reality, but a primary driver of declining trust

Jill Manuel

content creators

The people best trained to build trust can't get hired to build it

Jun 16, 2026

•

6 min read

The people best trained to build trust can't get hired to build it

I asked why comms won't hire journalists. 231 people showed up to answer.

Jill Manuel

content creators

The Trust Builders: Local Journalists Worth Stealing From

Jun 4, 2026

•

3 min read

The Trust Builders: Local Journalists Worth Stealing From

What these seven are doing that most newsrooms are still debating

Jill Manuel

Liberating Talent Requires Liberating Leadership First

May 20, 2026

•

4 min read

Liberating Talent Requires Liberating Leadership First

Unless leadership sends a clear signal, nothing changes.

Jill Manuel

content creators

May 13, 2026

•

4 min read

Freelancers for the Digital Age

What Happened When a Newsroom Actually Did It

Jill Manuel

Newsroom transformation

May 5, 2026

•

2 min read

Trust Has Left the Chat

This isn’t some outlier. It’s the map people drew of the world they actually live in.

Jill Manuel

Gen Z

Apr 23, 2026

•

2 min read

Trust Ranked 39th

The word we built careers around is now irrelevant to the audience

Jill Manuel

content creators

They Didn’t Leave Because of TikTok. They Left Because There Was Nothing to Stay For.

Apr 7, 2026

•

8 min read

They Didn’t Leave Because of TikTok. They Left Because There Was Nothing to Stay For.

Newsroom foundations are quicksand right now. Let’s pour some cement.

Jill Manuel

content creators

Mar 24, 2026

•

8 min read

You Can't Broccoli Your Way to Trust

Jack Brewster built a news app for Gen Z. What he’s learning should worry legacy media and give hope to any journalist still paying attention.

Jill Manuel

content creators

Trust Already Lives in the Feed. Local News Needs to Show Up There.

Mar 17, 2026

•

7 min read

Trust Already Lives in the Feed. Local News Needs to Show Up There.

Local newsrooms still possess something most creators don't

Jill Manuel

content creators

Mar 10, 2026

•

9 min read

Stop Waiting for Permission

The journalists who will survive the next decade aren't waiting for their newsrooms to transform. They're transforming themselves.

Jill Manuel

Load more articles