Trust returns to an independent — and more local — America

AMERICA was a New World reaction to distant and aloof power brokers in the Old World. As the Founding Fathers formed their own new government, they decided to keep political power in check, that they would not totally trust their own leaders. To prevent tyranny, these revolutionaries would uphold the notion of checks and balances in government and adhere to the equalizing nature of the free market, with some antitrust regulation eventually thrown in for good measure. That was the idea anyway.

The rise of America, the Superpower, contending with our Cold War fear of a Red Planet, produced big government, big business, big military and big unions. President Dwight Eisenhower tried to warn us of the perils of this "military industrial complex" as he departed the Oval Office. Twenty years later, Ronald Reagan demanded the fall of the Berlin Wall, even as he left corporations to grow unfettered. Deregulation would lead to massive consolidation, sometimes near-monopolization — particularly in "the media," where I ultimately chose to work.

On my watch, I saw newspapers become sadly more anemic with corporate takeovers and massive cost cutting, even as giants like Clear Channel strangled media diversity by swallowing up radio stations. I collaborated by joining the media elite at NBC News in New York, later taking a high-profile position in the Middle East. I enjoyed the job's prestige, but I began to see how the network as a powerful institution in its own right could make editorial compromises.

Our story on how Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's administration was engaged in corruption and human-rights abuses was bumped by the evening news anchor, who accused us of maligning a loyal U.S. ally (at the time).

This subtle collusion among America's powerful manifested itself many times over the coming years — in Iraq and on Wall Street. CNBC personality Maria Baritoromo accepted free rides on a Citibank private jet even as her financial news network pumped up a never-ending bull market, mere months before the global financial collapse.

After my final assignment in Iraq — partly because of instances like these — I decided to get out. I fled my "big box media" career, hitting the road with my wife and a cheap camera to document the early stages of a homegrown insurgency against corporate retailers — such as Wal-Mart, Starbucks and Borders Books.

Americans from all political convictions told us how they had lost faith in the nation's power brokers. After Enron, the Gulf War and the post-Hurricane Katrina failure, they realized how little influence they had over decisions made in executive offices thousands of miles away. They also began to grasp how they could demand — even expect — more accountability in something they could impact closer to home — business relationships within their own community. Here, the lines of communication were clear, credible and direct.

This has convinced many — including my family — to follow a "Local First" lifestyle. We opened a bank account with locally owned HomeStreet Bank, which still thrives while giants such as Citibank and Washington Mutual crumble. We also frequent our local farmers market and we'll always opt for a local coffee shop over the alternative.

Public-relations firm Edelman reports in its "Trust Barometer" that in the past three years, the credibility of CEOs among Americans has eroded by almost half. CEOs are the least-trusted public figures nationwide. This decline in trust coincides with the demise of journalism organizations — our traditional purveyors of credible, trustworthy news. So now we resort to the Internet (ironically, a military/university Cold War invention) for additional sources and, ideally, a more honest exchange of information. New forms of communication allow us to see through conflict of interest and promote a more authentic discourse.

This trend of using the Internet as a two-way communication platform fueled my own "Independent America" films. Initially declined funding by broadcasters, we still pursued the story, thanks to inexpensive video technology. Our entrepreneurial abilities helped us build a network of supporters through social media, such as blogs, online video and podcasts as our films were being made.

Real-time fans directed us to locations and businesses where we saw our story unfold. These same supporters later screened our work publicly nationwide, promoting the "Local First" movement to their neighbors. We weren't professional filmmakers yet we still established a relationship of trust and credibility with our audience by sharing the production start to finish.

Americans now yearn for these transparent, authentic connections, as they try to move beyond the feeling of betrayal by the powers-that-be. With this freedom comes duty. We must become active, vigilant participants in the conversation. In a way, each of us individually must perform the role of journalist. We do this by building relationships with others to whom we ascribe credibility and trust.

Yes, some of this happens online. But supporting our local businesses is a physical manifestation of this trend toward social accountability. And they're prepared to play their part.

In New Orleans, one bookstore owner told me that she owed it to her customers and to her community to return and rebuild after Hurricane Katrina. They could not wait for out-of-town companies to decide when it was profitable (or when they received a handout) to reopen.

"It's just what we love to do, and it's necessary," she said. "So if not us, who?