But who can you trust? Indeed, what can you believe?

Platforms that manipulate attention for short-term gain undermine the vital work of long-term thinking and deep problem-solving. This is where institutions of knowledge and influence need to step up and contribute to the urgent conversations of our time.

Today, brands can, should, and do tell their stories directly and participate meaningfully in the global exchange of ideas. And they are doing far more than promoting themselves.

Increasingly, brands are taking stands on societal issues and connecting their purpose to the world’s most pressing problems. This is not altruism. This is because their customers, employees, investors, and neighbors expect it. What’s more, brands no longer can—or need to—rely on others to tell their stories. They have the power to rise above the current media morass to own and share their stories themselves.

All of this requires courage and new ways of thinking. The good news is, more and more brands are demonstrating both. They are shaping, for the better, both private dialogue and public discourse. They are speaking—publishing, broadcasting, engaging—with the quality, creativity, and intellectual vibrancy that were once the exclusive domain of the Fourth Estate.

This is The New Editorial.

And our movement is growing. We’re thrilled to announce that Godfrey Dadich Partners is joining forces with Ghost Note—the firm behind projects like Nike’s Puerto Rican Day Parade and The Center for Healing and Justice’s brand identity—to expand the New Editorial’s vision and impact. Through this strategic partnership, we believe our firms can help organizations reach new audiences, tell more compelling stories, and take part more effectively in the critical dialogues shaping the future.