PR’s role in proactively combatting the spread of misinformation

When it comes to successful communication, nothing is more important than being able to trust the messenger. Unfortunately, the world is awash with misinformation and disinformation these days.

It’s the job of the PR professional to not only correct inaccurate facts but also do what they can to stop them from spreading in the first place. One way that communicators can do that is by shoring up internal messaging strategies, according to Patrice Smith, a lecturer in the Journalism & Public Relations Department at California State University, Long Beach.

“Misinformation is a human behavior issue, not a technology issue,” Smith said during PR Daily’s recent Media Relations Conference. “Even without the internet or AI, misinformation and disinformation would still exist because they are being spread by humans.”

During her presentation, Smith underscored the need to maintain clear, consistent and well-informed internal communication practices. At a large organization, it’s easy for one person to misunderstand the message and then take that to a reporter, and “now your message is lost,” she said.