Who do you trust? Global opinion leaders say their most credible source of information about a company is now "a person like me," surpassing doctors and academic experts, according to Edelman, the world's largest independent public relations firm. The seventh annual Edelman Trust Barometer, a survey of nearly 2,000 opinion leaders in 11 countries, reported that in the U.S., opinion leaders also consider rank-and-file employees more credible spokespersons than corporate CEOs. "We have reached an important juncture, where the lack of trust in established institutions and figures of authority has motivated people to trust their peers as the best sources of information about a company," said Richard Edelman, president and CEO. "Companies need to move away from sole reliance on top-down messages delivered to elites toward fostering peer-to-peer dialogue among consumers and employees, activating a company's most credible advocates." Click here to read more about the survey. Television is losing ground in terms of media trustworthiness, and trust in the Internet as a credible source of information is rising. "Articles in business magazines" is the most credible source of information about a company, followed closely by "friends and family." Trust has important bottom-line consequences. In most markets, more than 80% say they would refuse to buy goods or services from a company they do not trust, and more than 70% will "criticize them to people they know," with one-third sharing their opinions and experiences of a distrusted company on the Web. "Trust is the key objective for global companies today because it underpins corporate reputation and gives them license to operate," said Michael Deaver, Vice Chairman, Edelman. "To build trust, companies need to localize communications, be transparent, and engage multiple stakeholders continuously as advocates across a broad array of communications channels." What can The Church learn from this? Do you think the same attitudes apply to Church organizations and leaders? Why or why not?