Credability

[Lester.Slaback@nist.gov]

In <199704251825.UAA09608@chava.netmedia.net.il>, on 04/25/97 
   at 12:50 PM, "J. J. Rozental" <josrozen@netmedia.net.il> said: <excerpted>
>	I have being working in nuclear energy for more than 35 years and until
>now I feel that  the citizens of many countries do not believe in the
>Authorities they should to believe. There are not enough mediators to
>link knowledgeable expert opinion and the more or less ignorant
>population.

A talk I attended some time ago strongly made the point that not only do
the Soviet citizens not believe government statements, they will presume
the opposite it true.  This poses an obvious challenge when one must
convince a population to do or accept certain things.

How any government (or organization) can regain credibility once it is
lost to this degree is a real question.  And how any person or
organization with an official link to that government can have successful
communications would also seem a challenge.

The obvious lesson is that one has a very limited credibility bank
account, and bankruptcy is always just around the corner.
-- 
the above are the personal musing of the author,
and do not represent any past, current, or future
position of NIST, the U.S. Government, or anyone else
who might think that they are in a position of authority.
NBSR Health Physics
NIST
Gaithersburg, MD 20899
301 975-5810
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Lester.Slaback@nist.gov
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