Diary of a PhD student

A research study has conceptualised a management process for misinformation or fake news attacks.

How to deal with misinformation or fake news attacks is an emerging issue for anyone working in corporate communications or public relations. Fake news moves faster than any other crisis and is wholly unpredictable.

Management and corporate communication teams are developing robust strategies to deal with the increasing fake news attacks on organisations. These are the findings from a new study by Kent State University, Ohio, US, published in the Journal of Communication Management.

The study finds that misinformation and fake news stories have become a central element of crises that corporate communication and public relations practitioners confront. They require specific strategies to respond effectively.

The critical issue is understanding when and if to respond to a fake news crisis. The study proposes a “watchful waiting” approach to decide if a response is warranted by evaluating factors such as whether it’s a re-emerging issue, the source, and the momentum of the conversation.

When a response is required, key strategies include ensuring an expedited approval process for information dissemination, choosing an appropriate spokesperson, and including all relevant stakeholders.

To control media narratives, practitioners use owned channels to share counter-narratives, build relationships with credible news media, and directly address the fake news source. 

The research is based on a literature review, interviews with 21 senior practitioners who have experience dealing with fake news crises and a practitioner-led focus group.

—

Lambert, C.A., Ewing, M.E. and Hassan, T. (2024), “Watchful waiting: public relations strategies to minimize and manage a fake news crisis”, Journal of Communication Management, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCOM-05-2022-0064