A core tactic of crisis communications enlists the support of an independent, third party expert to endorse and give credibility to a proposed course of action. The following trust rankings gives corporate communicators a reference for choosing or avoiding a professional media alliance during a crisis. (Think twice before using a politician because like a baby's nappy they need to be changed regularly and for exactly the same reason!)
The Australian Reader’s Digest annually surveys almost 1400 Australians to find out the professions that Australians trust and why. All data is weighted by age, gender and area of residence according to Australian Bureau of Statistics figures to ensure a true representation of the population’s attitudes towards trust. Following are the rankings for 2002.
| 1st Ambulance officers |
| 2nd Fire-fighters |
| 3rd Pilots |
| 4th Nurses |
| 5th Pharmacists |
| 6th Doctors |
| 7th Army, navy, airforce |
| 8th Police |
| 9th Teachers |
| 10th Plumbers |
| 11th Religious minister/the Church |
| 12th Accountants |
| 13th Architects |
| 14th Social workers |
| 15th Auto-mechanics |
| 16th Telecommunications providers |
| 17th Taxi drivers |
| 18th Builders |
| 19th Banks |
| 20th Psychologists |
| 21st Lawyers |
| 22nd Journalists |
| 23rd Trade unions |
| 24th Marketers |
| 25th Car salesmen |
| 26th Politicians |
