The Circular Firing Squad of Defenders of Democracy

What’s the circular firing squad of defenders of democracy?

It’s a pattern of blame that stops us from stopping the erosion of public trust.

I was thinking about this after attending the Apolitical day last week (hats off to Lisa Witter, Jenna Kelly, and Robyn Scott for such an engaging and thought-provoking event).

Public trust was front and centre.

At one point, someone said, “Trust is a politician problem, not a civil servant problem.” That comment really annoyed me.

Here’s the thing:

If you’re a politico, journalist, or civil servant who values liberal democracy, the decline in public trust is absolutely your problem—and your responsibility.

Our 20th-century institutions simply don’t meet 21st-century expectations. And the answer isn’t “more and better” of what worked in the past.

Too many institutions are stuck in broadcast mode—over-relying on the old levers of power and failing to embrace the dynamism of modern information environments.

Trust will only grow if institutions engage permanently with citizens. This means real-time listening and real-time responses.

Creative communication is urgent. It’s time to move beyond “getting it in the papers” and start leveraging digital platforms, and modern storytelling.

This might feel uncomfortable. It requires rethinking power structures. But the current circular firing squad—where everyone blames someone else—doesn’t help.

Escape routes?

👉 More dialogue and community building—scalable with AI.
👉 Smarter communication strategies for a world beyond (dare I say it like Elon would...) “legacy media.”