There has been a significant missing link in government and organizational communication and strategies over the past two decades.

Despite significant investment in communication teams, campaigns and technologies, trust and reputation continue to erode. The gap is impossible to ignore.

Global research from the Edelman Trust Barometer, PRSA, the Arthur Page Society, Kaplan Research and others highlights the same trend: institutions are struggling with transparency, credibility, and accountability.

In Australia, high‑profile failures such as the 2023 PwC tax scandal and the Banking Royal Commission (2017–2019), along with Qantas' Job Cuts during COVID-19 (2020); Rio Tinto's destruction of the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge Aboriginal heritage sites in 2020. have only intensified public scepticism.

Other research and reputation studies consistently point to leadership and empathy as critical drivers of trust, with findings from the Edelman Trust Barometer and the Arthur Page Society reinforcing their importance.

However, while these qualities are necessary, they are not sufficient on their own. Without being embedded in a broader, organisation-wide framework of communication governance, they risk becoming performative rather than transformative.

All these events and research have made one thing clear - communication management alone is not rebuilding trust. Trust requires a systemic approach, not just behavioural one.

The core issue which is emerging is a persistent misunderstanding that managing communication does not equate to trustworthy communication; i.e. communicating in ways that earn trust.

In fact, it highlights that there is a communication governance gap – a blind spot which represents the difference between communication practice and communication governance.

Without clear principles to guide communication behaviour, organisations risk using communication as an instrumental tool designed to protect reputations rather than to serve the public interest.

This is why a Communication Manifesto is needed.

Professor Silvio Waisbord of George Washington University first advocated for the adoption of a communication manifesto in 2019 and it was recently echoed in Australia by Matt Cowdroy, the founder of Think Productive Australia in an interview in a Qantas magazine article on How to Lead During Uncertain Times.

Their shared argument is simple: institutions need a foundational expression of their communication philosophy; something sitting above the strategic communication plan, the crisis plan, the internal communications plan, etc.

The communication manifesto is a declaration of purpose to guide both internal and external communication strategies and plans and which addresses:

• Why communication matters.
• Who the organisation is when it communicates.
• What values guide interactions with the public.
• What standards the organisation commits to uphold.

The manifesto defines the ‘why and who we are’ and the communication plans describe the how (channels, timing, tactics) of ‘ how we do it’. It also becomes the ethical and cultural centrepiece that shapes every message, every interaction, and every expectation.

It articulates the principles of an organisation’s communication process - honesty, transparency, responsibility, and public accountability – and it serves to

• Strengthen the organisation’s moral and relational foundations
• Reinforce communication as a public responsibility, not merely a reputation tool
• Establish measurable standards for communication behaviour
• Provide a basis for evaluating whether actions align with stated values

In summary:

• A Manifesto declares what you believe about communication.
• A Policy sets the formal rules for communication.
• A Strategy defines the high-level goals and direction (the "why").
• A Plan details the actions and timeline to achieve the strategy (the "how"). Specific plans (Internal, Crisis, etc.) are tactical applications of the overall strategy to a specific area of focus.

Importantly, a manifesto aligns with the Trust Equation^[1] concept that highlights how trust is built through transparency, consistency, engagement, and perceived integrity.

When embedded into everyday practice, a manifesto gives communication teams a clear compass; guiding not just what they say, but how they choose to ‘show-up’ in the public sphere.

All these key elements make it the missing link between communication activity and genuine communication accountability to rebuilding trust.

For further information on developing and implementing a Communication Manifesto talk to Robert Masters & Associates.