Fake News: A Warning and Reminder

Fake news isn’t news to us… but it is becoming a serious problem. The Government of Canada recently released the 2024 report Disruptions on the Horizon, which is a document available to the public that details potential disasters that are most likely to least likely to cause a world-unravelling disruption. Let’s play a game with this fun report! Can you guess which disruption is first on the list of the highest likelihood to occur? 

“People cannot tell what is true and what is not.” 

Fake news is that detrimental to our society. That’s why, as PR professionals, it’s essential to ensure that we act accordingly when navigating the news cycle and media outlets of the 21st century. 

We’ve seen it before. The spread of misinformation can trigger dangerous outcomes politically and economically. As I’ve previously mentioned in blogs, transparency is essential to brand image. As PR professionals, we owe the public honesty, transparency, and accuracy. This is one of the surefire ways to combat fake news. Establishing good practice in transparency will set a positive track record for your brand and reinforce trust. Some would argue that this may not matter in a society where people can’t differentiate between fake and real, but setting the record straight early can help your brand brace for changes in the world’s news cycle and news consumption practices. 

As PR professionals, it is our duty to minimize the spread of misinformation. Use your inferencing skills to sniff out false reports, stretched truth, and pants-on-fire lies. After all, many of us read the news daily as part of our career responsibilities. With extensive experience in reading news and dealing with journalists, we should have fake news detectors ingrained in our minds by now. Rely on unbiased, fact-checking sites to confirm suspicions, and don’t give the fake news another thought. If you’re really looking to exercise your civil duty, reporting the post or article is always an effective method to reduce the damage misinformation can cause. Familiarize yourself with the journalism beats, if any, that are associated with your brand. Working for a hospital? Get familiar with the political climate in your area, and start to look at healthcare-related news. Educating yourself by accessing news through appropriate and reputable outlets is the best way to fight fake news. 

And if you’re worried about artificial intelligence… I invite you to join the club. One of the biggest concerns in Canada’s report on disruptions happened to be AI muddying the waters for humans, impacting our ability to detect true, genuine news. For example, AI is quickly approaching a stage where realistic videos can be created at the click of a button. In moments, a video mimicking a world leader could drive us to fall out, and as a collective, we wouldn’t be able to decipher a true versus a false message. I know it’s very scary, and I think we should all proceed cautiously. All we can do now is try our best to detect, debunk, and stop fake news. Incorporate the social responsibility of preventing the spread of fake news now to help preserve a peaceful and accurately informed society. Together, we can undo the harmful effects that fake news has had on damaged brand images, political systems, democratic proceedings, and society’s trust.