A Zogby463 poll found that 75 percent of Americans don’t believe CEOs and CFOs give a true picture of a company’s financial outlook, *BUT* 53 percent support making CEOs and execs available to the media. 
These are the top dogs responsible by SEC policy to give accurate and honest information about their company, and even though consumer opinion cries foul, we still want to hear from them? Perhaps we like getting lied to. Maybe I like believing the weather report. Maybe my coworkers still think The Hills wasn’t scripted.
At an event in NYC, a panel including folks from Zogby463 (a Bite sister agency project), and Next Fifteen (Tim Dyson, Bite’s holding company CEO) discussed the intersection of technology and policy, with these stats providing the backdrop of the changing communications landscape.
My favorite topic was the discussion of how policy and regulation, or the lack thereof, in online user generated content is forcing us to look closer at using the collective intelligence over hard data as the law of the land. Some nuggets from the conversation:
- John Zogby noted that current affairs have led us to the worst crisis in confidence since the market crash of 1932, and while no company should be controlled by the demands of the masses, it needs to play a role.
- Tim Dyson said that companies now must play fairly in a communications triangle (Company, Media, Publics), and that we now evaluate content on a period of time (comment field with 2 months of product reviews) versus a moment in time (1 top editor’s official product review).
- A hearty debate ensued around Steve Jobs’ health and the need for disclosure, fueled by the veracious online community. While I’m in the “please leave him be” boat, it’s a perfect example of how online speculation, cries from the masses, and policy precedents are colliding.
Overall its a conversation that’s only going to grow, so best to stay ahead of it.