Public trust in both government and corporations is low, and

When Rebecca MacKinnon declared, “Public trust in both government and corporations is low, and deservedly so,” she did not speak from cynicism but from clarity — a clarity earned by watching the powerful betray the very people they are meant to serve. Her words cut like a chisel against the marble of modern society, exposing the cracks beneath its polished surface. In an age where institutions have grown vast and impersonal, where truth is shaped by profit and power, she reminds us that trust is sacred, and that when it is broken, it must be earned again through transparency, integrity, and moral courage.

The origin of this quote lies in MacKinnon’s deep engagement with the questions of digital freedom, human rights, and accountability. As a journalist and advocate, she witnessed firsthand how both governments and corporations — particularly in the realm of the internet — wielded immense control over the flow of information. She saw how states surveilled their citizens in the name of security, and how corporations harvested their data in the name of commerce. Both, in their pursuit of power or profit, had betrayed the trust of the public. Her statement, then, is not merely an observation but an indictment — a recognition that betrayal breeds distrust, and that this distrust is not paranoia, but justice awakened.

In the style of the ancients, we might say that MacKinnon’s words are the voice of Nemesis, the goddess of retribution, calling the mighty to account for their hubris. For trust is not a thing that can be commanded; it is a covenant. When rulers and merchants forget that their power derives from the consent and faith of the people, they sow the seeds of their own undoing. The ancients warned that empires fall not from invasion, but from corruption within — when those entrusted with guardianship become wolves instead of shepherds. So too in our age: when governments manipulate truth, and corporations exploit the vulnerable, they fracture the moral foundation upon which civilization itself stands.

History bears bitter witness to this truth. Consider the Watergate scandal of the 1970s — when the American government’s own leaders were caught in webs of deceit and criminality. The revelation shook the nation’s faith to its core. Citizens who once believed in the nobility of their institutions began to see politics as theater, cloaked in lies. Around the same time, scandals of corporate greed — from Enron to the financial collapse of 2008 — revealed another betrayal: that the stewards of wealth had gambled recklessly with the futures of ordinary men and women. These moments did not simply destroy trust; they transformed it into vigilance. And in that vigilance lies both pain and wisdom.

MacKinnon’s words echo with the sorrow of these disillusionments, yet they also carry the seed of renewal. For when she says trust is low “and deservedly so,” she invites us not to despair but to see clearly. To understand that blind faith is not virtue — it is vulnerability. The people must hold their rulers and their corporations to account, not out of malice but out of moral responsibility. For trust, once broken, can only be rebuilt when truth returns to the center of power. Governments must govern with honesty; corporations must serve with conscience; and citizens must remain ever watchful, lest the shadows of greed and deceit grow again unchecked.

But there is another layer of wisdom here: MacKinnon reminds us that trust cannot be restored by words alone. It demands reform — tangible acts of accountability. A government that listens instead of conceals; a corporation that values people above profit; a citizenry that demands justice rather than comfort. These are the steps by which nations heal and progress endures. As the ancients taught, integrity is not proclaimed — it is proven through sacrifice. Only when leaders place moral duty above personal gain will trust flow again through the veins of society like clean water through a once-poisoned well.

The lesson for future generations is clear: trust is both a gift and a burden. When it is given, it must be honored; when it is broken, it must be reclaimed through courage and action. Each of us bears a share of this responsibility. Let no citizen surrender their voice, no leader forget their oath, and no enterprise forget its humanity. For as long as power remains unaccountable, trust will remain deservedly low — but as soon as truth and justice are restored, faith will return, not as a naive belief, but as a noble strength.

Thus, let these words be carried forward as a warning and a promise: when trust dies, nations falter — but when integrity rises, civilization is reborn. The age of deceit may darken our skies, but the light of truth — if we guard it — will always find its way through.