PR vs. Fake News

Can we stop the spread of fake news?

Fake news is everywhere these days. Fake news travels 6 times faster than real news. False stories aim to manipulate public opinion. They reach people quicker online. With the huge social media consumption, people don’t check news sources often.

“83% of the Europeans say fake news is an existential threat to their way of life”, according to European Union statistical agency Eurobarometer.

The role of communication professionals is to be authentic and transparent with the public by providing truthful content.

Original blog post appears on SpinSucks.com. You can read it: How Communication Professionals Can Slow the Spread of Fake News.

The creativity, authenticity, human approach and relationship building in PR daily work are making fake news disappear.

Even when people get their information from established media sources, it comes to them through news aggregator platforms such as Facebook or Google (a survey from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism combined with further analysis from the Oxford Internet Institute, both based at Oxford University).

Journalists and PR practitioners’ job is to inform the public. Journalists check all the facts and accuracy of a story before they publish it. PR pros as well check fact data in order to build communication messages to inform and educate the public. With digital media, everyone has a voice and can express an opinion. This makes the work of these “traditional gatekeepers” even harder.

The problem with fake news is that it is fabricated content.

In PR, we talk about emotional storytelling. Brand stories that are compelling and eye-catching. It is the only way consumers will remember a brand for a long time.

Be authentic.

Make authenticity a priority in communications. Original storytelling creates long-lasting relationships. Why? Because people want to learn interesting things, imagine and explore new ideas and opportunities.

Millions around the world favour the TV shows of Oprah and Ellen DeGeneres because they are true to themselves, original and provide content and information that help people.

Recently, I attended a forum where Matt Potter, Chief Content Officer in John Brown Media, was talking about content creation and meaningful stories. He was saying that today market intelligence (technology) in combination with human intelligence (knowing people’s needs and interests) are equal to editorial intelligence. It is knowing exactly what content to give to your audience to keep it entertained and informed.

To fight fake news people need to stay humble.

People should always ask questions and be curious to learn new things or learn more about a certain topic. When checking news sources, people are able to distinguish a fake from a true story.

Fake news as a momentum trend that made possible trust decline in media.

Why will it fade away? Because people are looking for authenticity. People are looking more for stories that are interested in them. This will make them more knowledgeable about specific topics. When we read and we check information on multiple sources, it is harder to be misinformed.

How Communication Professionals Can Slow the Spread of Fake News.