Trust Restoration Strategies: During the COVID-19 Crisis

Abstract

This study investigates the discursive process of trust repair in a non-Western context. Drawing from the official COVID-19 press briefings following the Thai government’s surveillance failures, common lexico-grammatical choices used in restoring trust are identified. Such choices function to neutralize negative impressions with respect to competence, integrity, and benevolence of the government, and emphasize positive aspects associated with these factors. Utilizing these discursive strategies, policymakers prioritize their ad hoc responses and naturalize the spread of the virus, while also minimizing or concealing the root causes leading to these incidents.