Alternative facts: Bad for society and business

Truth and trust, two cornerstones of a smooth-functioning democratic society, are having a bad year — in fact, several bad years.

In a recent study, the highly regarded Edelman Trust Barometer for 2017 showed the largest-ever drop in trust across institutions of government, business, media and non-government organizations.

Among other things, it indicated that an average person posting a statement online is generally more likely to be believed and trusted than a science expert or business or government leader.

Edelman senior vice president Kety Esquivel said, “The cycle of distrust is magnified by a media echo chamber that reinforces personal beliefs while shutting out opposing points of view.”

The foundation of trust is truth — the ability to believe that what we are told is factual and presented in context. But truth can be hard to discern these days. Enter the era of “alternative facts.”

The late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan was fond of saying, “Everybody is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.” Too many people, especially in politics and in business today, haven’t read their Moynihan. What they say and do fly in the face of honest and ethical behavior.

Hasn’t that always been the case? Yes, but seemingly to a much lesser degree.

A global auto company fakes emission tests to put cars on the road that can increase deaths and illness from excessive air pollution. A major bank creates false accounts for customers and charges them fees for services they never signed up for. Politicians put out numbers on such issues as taxation and climate change that are pure fabrications. Actions like these are almost invariably accompanied by lies, evasions or deceptions.

Tom Hudson, vice president of news at WLRN said, “The current environment, especially fake news charges and attacks on media, is corrosive to our civil conversation, erodes our sense of community, and unmoors our society from being able to have civil debates and conversations about some of our biggest problems.”

Florida International University journalism professor Fred Blevens, PhD, agrees, saying our society needs more news literacy and critical thinking, two things that he stresses in his classes.

Unethical behavior, including putting out information that is false or misleading, not only confuses the public but can take a great toll on a business including fines, loss of reputation and alienated customers, according to Travis Winslow, vice president of ethics and compliance at Carnival Corporation. Winslow believes every company needs a strong ethics program that is enforced. Winslow notes, “The purpose of having ethical standards is protection of the bottom line. Without trust, customers won’t come back.”

Alfred Sanchez, president and CEO of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, sees the building of trust through ethical behavior as essential to the continued growth and prosperity of the entire region. He puts it this way: “In large part, the South Florida business community is a close network of companies that rely on each other for consistent growth. Operating under unethical business practices will not only undermine a company’s reputation but can also impact other companies’ growth potential.”

A good reputation based on ethical behavior is also an important factor in an individual’s career success. Many people have lost high positions at the peak of their careers when unethical behavior in their early days suddenly comes to light.

For the good of our country, our institutions and all of us as individuals, the era of deception, blind acceptance of “alternative facts” and listening only to people who reinforce our views must end. Holding our leaders and institutions to truth-telling and ethical behavior will bring back the trust our society so desperately needs.

Virgil Scudder, author and international communication expert, will be the moderator of a panel discussion on “Navigating Ethics to Restore Trust and Improve Personal and Business Success,” involving all those mentioned in this column, Nov. 9 in Miami, hosted by Public Relations Society of America, Miami Chapter, and the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. For more information, go to www.prsamiami.org.