How can public communication contribute to institutional trustworthiness? What strategies ensure accountability and informed public judgment in democratic governance?

Experts from political science, media studies, and public policy-alongside practitioners from agencies supporting public authorities-will discuss:

• The risks of misinformation, propaganda, and performative trust-building efforts that can erode democratic credibility.
• How institutions can demonstrate trustworthiness through transparency and accountability.
• The role of public communication strategies in fostering informed engagement.
• How media and policymakers can navigate the balance between informing, scrutinizing, and engaging citizens.

Speakers:

Judith Ferrando (Co-Director of Missions Publiques, Board Member of the ICPC) - Insights from public engagement and citizen participation initiatives.

Sarah Kups (Senior Economist, Public Governance Directorate, Governance Indicators and Performance Division, OECD) - Key recommendations from OECD report on Building trust in a complex policy environment.

Mario Scharfbillig (Science for Policy Analyst, European Commission) - Key recommendations from the Trustworthy Public Communication (Joint Research Center) report.

Paschalia Spyridou (Assistant Professor, Cyprus University of Technology) - The role of media in participatory budgeting (Demotec Project).

Join us for a discussion that moves beyond conventional narratives of "trust-building" to explore what truly makes institutions worthy of public confidence.
This webinar is part of the Truedem project, led by Christian Haerpfer and Pippa Norris, and funded by Horizon Europe (2023-2025).
The roundtable will be moderated by Frédéric Gonthier (Sciences Po Grenoble - UGA), Aneta Vilagi (Comenius University, Bratislava) and Christian Haerpfer (University of Vienna).

Video link