ABSTRACT
In pursuing the notion of public relations as relationship management, num erous scholars have identified the dimension of trust as critical. In a seminal article on public relations models, Leichty and Springston (1993) described the process of building trust in an interpersonal relationship: “One party takes a small risk by disclosing a small piece of personal information. ...If the other party reciprocates the self-disclosure, then the first party is likely to self-disclose again ...(and) mutual trust emerges from a positive feedback spiral” (pp. 180-188). Leichty and Springston (1993) noted that “building trust between an organiza tion and its publics probably follows a similar cycle” (p. 335).
