America Needs a New Kind of Public Intellectual

Americans didn’t use to have to wonder about which thinkers to turn to. We had institutions that selected, vetted, appointed, and elevated people we relied on as authoritative voices. They had processes around them, like editorial review and fact-checking at publications, to ensure they did not go off the rails. The professions had an ethical code that meant something. While this system was not without its faults, and not without errors, Americans felt confident relying on network TV anchors, writers at newspapers, college professors, pastors, doctors. It was an era of high institutional trust.

That world is gone today. The institutions that sustained it have lost public trust, not entirely without warrant. Not only are official voices not trusted, but being in a position of authority today often makes the skeptical trust you even less.

People today feel left to their own devices in picking the voices they should listen to. Influencers and outsider voices are now often the authorities of choice, whether that be on personal health, relationships, or media. Even when those people are part of a major legacy institution, it’s as individuals that people trust them.