PR giant Edelman sounds alarm over ‘descent into grievance’ in Davos – but whose fault is that?

Richard Edelman, CEO of the Edelman global communication company at the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, earlier this month. Photograph: Markus Schreiber/AP

High up in the Swiss Alps this week, an influential public relations executive issued a stark warning to the world’s corporate and political elite. Public trust is “plummeting”, Richard Edelman declared, prompting a global “descent into grievance”.

For the 25th year, the PR agency Edelman released its annual “trust barometer” at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The survey asks respondents in dozens of countries if they trust governments, NGOs, media outlets and corporations.