By Lane Beauchamp, Region 11 Director

Talk about two ends of the spectrum.

Last week, friends and fans gathered to bid a public adieu to CBS legend Walter Cronkite, long-considered “the most trusted man in America.” Then, a few days later, the latest study from the Pew Research Center reported that trust in America’s news media had reached a new low.

The Pew survey of 1,506 people delivered troubling news about the perception of media organizations’ accuracy – only 29 percent of Americans surveyed said the media get the facts correct.  The survey also found that 60 percent of those asked think news organizations are politically biased.

It’s a dramatic swing from Cronkite’s “most trusted” era.

There’s already been much debate about the cause of this precipitous drop. Clearly, a lot has changed since Cronkite commanded trust from the anchor’s chair – the rise of cable news networks, the downturn of newspapers, the proliferation of talk radio and the explosion of Internet and mobile news sources.

But if we look beyond what has fueled the decline, the more important question is:  what can be done to reverse the trend of public opinion? While some continue to paint the media future in the dark hues of gloom, perhaps the coupling of Cronkite’s passing and the release of the depressing Pew numbers may be the incentive our industry needs.

Cronkite’s memorial service offered all journalists the opportunity to think about what it means to hold the public’s respect. I argue those days aren’t gone forever. But to begin the rebuilding effort, we all must be advocates for change in a traditional industry that still seems desperate to hold onto its past practices.

This isn’t a new concept. Some of us have been arguing for years about the need to truly empower our audiences. More than three years ago, noted media observer and New York University journalism professor Jay Rosen coined the term, “the people formerly known as the audience.”  They are an empowered lot “who with modest effort can connect with each other and gain the means to speak.”

Rosen wrote: “The people formerly known as the audience are those who were on the receiving end of a media system that ran one way, in a broadcasting pattern, with high entry fees and a few firms competing to speak very loudly while the rest of the population listened in isolation from one another— and who today are not in a situation like that at all.”

And while some in our industry have heeded the call, collectively we’ve barely moved the needle – and some interpretations of the latest Pew study might suggest we’ve even moved backward.

Sure, those of us who allow comments on stories, or have been successful in getting folks to send in their storm videos and pet pictures should pat themselves on the back for at least trying. But that’s far from the end goal. We have to be willing to relinquish control and invite voices to be heard – and not always through our filter. That perspective was underscored earlier this month at the Future of Journalism Conference in Great Britain. 

Dozens of academic studies were shared, and as Alfred Hermida wrote on PBS’ MediaShift blog, the results showed more how mainstream media was trying to “tame the phenomenon” rather than encourage it.

“The research paints a global picture of how journalists are seeking to maintain their position of authority and power,” Hermida wrote, “rather than create a more open, transparent and accountable journalistic process that seeks to work with readers. … There is little room for the public to be involved in the actual making of the news - in deciding whom to interview, how to frame the story and how to produce it.”

The concept of transparency isn’t just about letting our audience see what’s under the hood; it’s about letting them help fix it. And sometimes it’s even about letting them decide what car to drive.

During his speech at Cronkite’s memorial service last week, President Obama said that, at the time, it may have seemed inevitable that Cronkite would be named the most trusted man in America. 

“But here's the thing,” Obama said. “That title wasn't bestowed on him by a network.  We weren't told to believe it by some advertising campaign.  It was earned.  It was earned by year after year and decade after decade of painstaking effort; a commitment to fundamental values; his belief that the American people were hungry for the truth, unvarnished and unaccompanied by theatre or spectacle.  He didn't believe in dumbing down.  He trusted us.”

People still hunger for the truth. They still respect our industry’s fundamental values. But they no longer passively absorb what we say. They need to be included in the conversation – and even lead it. It’s time we trust our audiences.