‘It is important to distinguish between disinformation and misinformation’

With the increasing influence and importance of social media, it has become imperative that any nugget of information or news be substantiated. The second session of IPRCCC 2021 saw a panel of industry experts deliberate on the issue of misinformation and fake news and 'How should practitioners ensure that messages resonate in an era of fake news and post truth?'  

On the panel were Ajey Maharaj, Head - Corporate Communications & PR, Fortis; Pooja Chaudhri, Executive Director, Concept PR; Abhilasha Gupta Head - Global Corporate Communications & Public Affairs, TechMahindra; Subramanian M, Practice Lead – Technology, Hill + Knowlton gathered at. The session was moderated by Shrabasti Mallik.

Speaking on the rate of increase in the number of fake news by the day, Subramanian recounted an incident that happened in 2003 during the ICC Cricket World Cup. He said, "It was around April Fool's Day. Just before that, India lost the World Cup to Australia. And on April 1 came the news that one of the Australian players was embroiled in a drug issue because of which the team would have to give up the cup to India. Now, in those days, this was called a rumour, which today we call fake news. But why I am using this as an example is that there are a lot of aspects about why something, which is a rumour or fake, is something which everyone thinks is true. The first is the topicality of it - that it was a time when there was a world cup and India did lose - and there is also the question of believability - everybody wanted to believe that India will now win. And obviously, the relevance and the timeliness were universal. I believe those are the aspects that have come down the years. Those same things of believability and relevance of something which is topical, something which everybody is passionate about have come down the years and have now got a terminology called fake news. So it's now a question of 'how does one counter it?' It is something that has to be addressed and a lot of it depends on it - for example, if I receive fake news, I need to kind of first look at it and think if that makes sense. You need to check on the believability and on whether it is something that can be true."

Sharing his views about fake news from the perspective of the healthcare industry, Maharaj said, "I think, one first needs to understand why this fake news circulation is increasing day by day. And I think the main reason behind this is digital penetration and people who have started using more and more digital platforms. And also, most of the links that are posted are neither verified nor authenticated. So, the main source of fake news starts from the digital platform - that's what I feel. From the healthcare perspective, it was the most challenging time for us because, if you remember, it was an infodemic related to Covid where everybody wanted to know what Covid was. It was something nobody had experienced before nor was aware of the gravity of the situation and what this disease was all about. So, there was plenty of misinformation on the public platforms. It was very critical from the communicator's point of view and healthcare professionals to ensure that our doctors, who are aware of the disease and what the issues are, were put on the right platform to counter the negative or misinformation that was there in the public domain. It was extremely critical and crucial from the healthcare perspective to inform people about the various initiatives that medical professionals have taken, how the hospitals are being managed and how the isolation of Covid patients is done."

While understanding the whys and whats of fake news, it is equally necessary to discuss the imperative role public relations and corporate communications professionals play in abating fake news and ensuring accurate messaging. Picking from Maharaj's view, Gupta said, "We are in an age of data deluge today, where there is so much data being dumped on all of us and all the stakeholders from across sources that I feel that the key is to filter what is right, what is fake and what is authentic. So, I think, as PR and communications professionals, it is important to do two things - one, check the source, and second, it is just not the onus of not just communication professionals but on every individual when they are circulating any news." 

Chaudhri agreed with Gupta and said, "I think it is important to understand and be able to distinguish between disinformation and misinformation. We talk about the source of the news but I think the onus is on each one of us as individuals who are receiving this kind of information to realise and to step back and think why is it coming to me, what is the motivation or purpose behind it. Because disinformation could be intentional - it can be targeted at an individual and corporate entity but it can also be malicious. Misinformation, I feel, may or may not be intentional and it is basically misusing the available information to project something else. Therefore, it is important to understand what is the reason for fake news, why is it coming to me, is it fake or is it incorrect and what is my responsibility before I click that forward button to further spread it."