Trust Issues

Newspapers spent centuries earning our belief. What happens when they start to lose it? Janean, who watched the 144-year-old paper she worked for shut down, puts two American newspapers through the six building blocks of brand believability. The Washington Post shows what happens when a brand breaks its own promises: a killed endorsement, an opinion-page overhaul, deep layoffs, and a lawsuit. The Minnesota Star Tribune tells a quieter story: a Pulitzer-winning newsroom that cut 15% of its staff just one month later. Which is harder to come back from: a sudden betrayal, or a slow wearing down?