Trust and Transparency in the profession and in the strategic communication professionals

Authors

  • Sónia Pedro Sebastião Universidade de Lisboa Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Políticas CAPP/FCT

Keywords:

public relations practitioners, trust, transparency, organizations, ECM2019

Abstract

The theoretical analysis of the concepts of trust and transparency shows the importance of the public relations (PR) professionals in the creation of narratives and processes that contribute to the relationships between organizations and publics, and to the development of trust in these relationships. These professionals seek to ensure access to information, the adequacy of the performance of organizations to the conveyed messages in order to present them and make them perceived as transparent. An empirical study of a deductive nature was developed, using the quantitative method based on massive scale survey – European Communication Monitor (ECM) – 2019. Within the scope of this article, we have pay attention to the answers to the seven questions that address
trust in the public relations and strategic communication professions, trust in communication departments and agencies, personal trust, trust in other communications professionals, trust-building processes in organizations and their challenges, and the transparency of organizations. The results show that both in Portugal and in Europe, personal confidence
is perceived to be higher than that of meso and macro levels. The general perception of confidence in the profession by ordinary people is even the lowest. In terms of transparency, the professionals surveyed report greater difficulty in ensuring transparency about policies and strategies associated with the organization’s leadership, as well as internal processes
and workflows.

Author Biography

Sónia Pedro Sebastião, Universidade de Lisboa Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Políticas CAPP/FCT

Doutora em Ciências Sociais na especialidade em Ciências da Comunicação pelo ISCSP (Universidade de Lisboa) (2008). Professora Associada com Agregação no ISCSP e investigadora integrada no CAPP (FCT, ISCSP) no Grupo de Sociedade, Comunicação e Cultura, onde desenvolve investigação nas áreas das relações públicas, comunicação estratégica, cidadania e cultura. É ainda Coordenadora da Unidade Científica e Pedagógica em Ciências da Comunicação.

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Published

2021-05-26

Issue

No. 32 (2021)

Section

Artigos

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