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A perusal of the just-released Monmouth University poll illustrates one of the reasons why trust and reputation are declining among brands, governments, organizations and their leaders. Fake news often is seen as a major catalyst for this ebb of reputation. Unfortunately it appears fake news–defined correctly or not–continues to grow in the mind of the public.

What talents and skills are CMOs looking for when they’re hiring was just one of the areas covered in the extensive quarterly survey of 360 for-profit CMOs produced by Christine Moorman of Duke University in collaboration with Duke’s Fuqua School of Business, Deloitte and the American Marketing Association. The survey had much to say about social media marketing and predicts continued budget growth.

Created last week, Burson Cohn & Wolfe (BCW) named its regional leaders as we went to press. For N America, Chris Foster becomes president, N America, BCW. Previously he was EVP, global business.

With the indictments of 13 Russians and 3 companies last week in the special investigation into foreign meddling with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, the topic of fake news on social platforms is likely to dominate the news this week. A survey from The Conference Board takes a slightly different view of the issue, asking marketers about advertising near fake news stories.

How do you engage consumers about holding on to their clothes longer and donating instead of discarding garments? Oh, and you need to work in detergent, body wash and deodorant brands? Unilever had an idea earlier this month and it resulted in a 28-foot-high dress made of old clothes. Honest.

What will be the main drivers of brand reputation when the Reputation Institute issues its Brand Trakr report next month? CEO activism, handling of fake news and rumors and workplace culture will be among the factors getting heavy play in the report, the Reputation Institute says.

It’s not a secret that Americans lack confidence in the media. Here’s another study verifying that point and offering findings that are very close to those contained in the Edelman Trust Barometer. Once again fake news is a huge issue, the study finds.

President Trump’s pounding of the media has hurt trust in journalism tremendously. A new poll shows Americans trust their media even less than citizens in Turkey and Russia, whose lack of press freedoms is well known. It’s enough to make brands want to re-think the idea of creating a newsroom.

One of the big data security stories last week was the $17 million sum insurer AETNA will pay to some customers as a result of compromising their personal data. Ironically with all the hype surrounding cybersecurity, this one was totally analogue. On the other hand, are PR firms secure from cybersecurity threats? A Gould + Partners quick poll reveals the disturbing answer.

Katie Paine takes a look at what’s ahead in 2018 and sees a sobering return to reality, with more realistic measurement leading the charge. She also sees more bots in our future as well as fewer choices for those companies seeking help with measurement.