Varsity Blues and Boeing: Trust and Transparency in America

The unfolding scandals over university admissions and air travel safety are best understood along the tragic arc of declining trust in America. It's an arc that goes back, at least, to the Vietnam war, when Americans tipped sharply into cynicism and distrust in institutions of all kinds.

Overcoming this trust gap requires a commitment to one principle above all others: transparency. Only by operating with openness, candor and clarity can leaders win society's hard-to-earn trust. While the Varsity Blues and Boeing scandals give further reason for cynicism, we hope the long-term outcome is a broad recommitment to transparency.