Introduction

The premises of democratic thought and action, and trust in particular, have been challenged recently due to unexpected electoral outcomes and the resurgence of populism. Contemporary political trust appears to be ‘broken,’ accompanied by ideological polarization, governmental dysfunction, lower voter-turnouts and the rise of authoritarian leaders. Traditional mainstream media organizations, once the gatekeepers of information about politics, are regarded now by many as untrustworthy or even ‘fake.’ Rapid technological change underlies these developments, changing the ways in which people communicate, and raising questions about the political effects of new digital media and artificial intelligence. Trust has played an important part in political thought, but there is a strong case for ‘re-describing’ what we mean by political trust.