PUBLIC RELATIONS
Fake News: A Real
Threat To Brands
By Irene Mbonge
T
he modern day PR and
communication
landscape
is quickly moving towards a
more multi-faceted one. With rapid
improvements brought about by new
technology and platforms, digital
communication can tarnish or make a
brand successful.
Having constant misinformation put out
to the general public is no new trend.
That’s what the beginnings of PR - the
era of propaganda was all about after
all. However, it has become particularly
prevalent in the media over the last few
years. Although this presents both an
opportunity and challenge for PR and
Communications, it is safe to say that all
professionals need to be skilled in dealing
with fake news by aiming to protect a
brand's reputation and regain trust.
‘Fake news’ is actually not a new concept;
however with the social media revolution,
it has become even more difficult to
differentiate between “fake” news and
“real” stories. The internet has made
sharing content and information more
accessible, easier and rather scary by
enabling seamless sharing of fabricated
content, reporting and made-up or “fake”
stories. Bogus content has affected how
consumers perceive brands in a very vast
way.
To explore the issue of fake news, we can
draw on a real-life incident from 2016,
in which a false news story circulated on
Facebook, asserting that Coca-Cola had
recalled bottles of its Dasani-brand water
due to the presence of aquatic parasites.
For this, 468 consumers were shown an
example of the 2016 Facebook posts but
were not told the information was false.
The consumers then answered a range
of survey questions. At this point, the
researchers informed the consumers that
‘Fake news’ is actually not a new concept;
however with the social media revolution, it
has become even more difficult to differen-
tiate between “fake” news and “real” sto-
ries. The internet has made sharing content
and information more accessible, easier and
rather scary by enabling seamless sharing
of fabricated content, reporting and made-
up or “fake” stories. Bogus content has af-
fected how consumers perceive brands in a
vast way.
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the Facebook posts were fake news, after
which the study participants answered
another series of survey questions.
The study established that the more
consumers felt they could detect and
evaluate misinformation, the more
likely they were to feel that the post was
intended to manipulate readers. Similarly,
the less the consumers trusted Facebook,
the more likely they were to feel that the
post was intended to manipulate readers
and they became more skeptical.
However, the consumers' trust of the brand
was not affected - due to the consumers'
increased skepticism and inference of
manipulative intent regarding the fake
news.
Does being aware of fake
news affect the way we
engage with digital content?
A research study conducted by Hill
Holliday among 18-61-year-olds shows
that 54% of consumers seem to be wary
of what they read online. 41% verify what
they read against a second source and
38% distrust sites that have provided fake
content in the past. What's quite absurd -
20% distrust everything they go through
just because fake news is somewhere out
there.
Understandably,
an
overwhelming
majority of 55% are primarily concerned
about dishonest reporting and lack of
journalistic integrity when it comes to
current news, while the 9% who are
concerned about fake reviews on Yelp