Plenty would argue that they didn't believe a word most politicians uttered well before our domestic political malaise. So how low have we gone now?
Well, I suppose it's now down to what "they" do - and it's very much the same for corporate business or in fact, any business out there looking to spin a yarn or two.
It's time to take the moral high ground in the face of what our leaders couldn't do, and make sure your headlines are about what you do.
The evolution of new media, via blogs and good old-fashioned traditional broadcast phone-ins, means there are very few, if any, places to hide.
Perhaps this new era might help us representing PRs be paraded more as truth-tellers, and put an end to our spin-doctor status?
Let's hope so, because those of us passionate about PR and serving clients would welcome nothing more than an uplift in our status.
We get paid by results, so never has it been more critical that both prospective clients and the media consistently take us seriously with every message we deliver.
If you've got something to hide as a business, don't think about contacting, for example, a lawyer because they will probably tell you to say "nowt" and, of course, "saying nowt" arouses suspicion.
Equally, don't phone a spin-doctor because it's increasingly likely you'll get egg on your face.
Have a strategy for telling the truth, via a reputable PR operator that will defend your corner and help the media and the public understand the truth.

JOEL JELEN is managing director of Ubiquity PR, in Liverpool