The Trust Spiral

"Tara Henley has been one of the sanest voices in English-speaking media during the past decade of chaos and decline, from the election of Donald Trump in 2016 to the upheavals of #MeToo, the racial reckoning, and the broader ideological capture of journalistic institutions by social justice activists less interested in truth-seeking than moral evangelism. Part memoir, part manifesto, part autopsy, The Trust Spiral is the clearest account yet of journalism's crisis of confidence and what can be done to fix it."
Thomas Chatterton Williams, The Atlantic

"Public trust in the media is at rock-bottom across the Anglosphere. In her evocative and fast-paced book, The Trust Spiral, leading Canadian podcaster Tara Henley persuasively argues that journalism's shift from objectivity to identity moralism underlies the crisis. The profession's growing ideological and class homogeneity, fired by the activist mindset of many elite young journalism graduates, produced an echo chamber that was no longer able to sort fact from fiction or proportionally cover the news. Her compelling, patiently documented account takes us on a tour through the most high-profile failures of her profession in the era of the Great Awokening. Far from holding power to account, the new journalism gave a pass to those in power as long as they were on the right side, alienating many in the public while fuelling polarization. While some correction has begun, much more is needed to right the ship. The Trust Spiral is a must-read for anyone concerned about the state of our public conversation."
Eric Kaufmann, The University of Buckingham

"The decline of objectivity in journalism has been a tragedy, both for our country and for the media itself. Tara Henley's new book lucidly explains how and why this has happened. An essential analysis."
Ruy Teixeira, American Enterprise Institute and co-author, Where Have All the Democrats Gone?

"Tara Henley has written a persuasive, fact-filled account of how the legacy media shattered due to groupthink, bias and technological change. Her prescription: the revival of journalistic neutrality. The Trust Spiral is an important read, informed by Henley's newsroom insight and her work reporting from the front lines."
Uri Berliner, freelance journalist, and contributing editor to Free Press

"Tara Henley is a prize. In a polarized age, she is fair-minded. In an angry age, she is temperate. In an age of hot takes, she is thoughtful and judicious. Having observed the news business from both the inside and the outside and the United States from across the border in Canada, she is among the writers whom I trust the most to help me understand the ongoing disaster of American journalism."
William Deresiewicz, author of Excellent Sheep and The End of Solitude

"Carefully, methodically, citing sources, Henley builds her case in this forensic autopsy of what killed newsrooms. The result is excellent. She even pinpoints the date."
BlackLocks Reporter

"Of all that's been written and said over the last decade about the erosion of public trust in the media, Tara Henley's The Trust Spiral is the sharpest and most concise critique I've encountered. I've long admired Henley as a podcaster; she is a gifted interviewer and an exceptionally honest broker amid a sea of partisans. In this volume, her dexterity and depth as a writer and thinker are on full display as she explains the seemingly inexplicable. I want to give a copy to everyone I know."
Meghan Daum, host of The Unspeakeasy and author of The Problem With Everything: My Journey Through The New Culture Wars