The Disinformation Threat is Real—Are You Prepared?

This month is Disinformation Awareness Month, a new initiative led by the Institute for Public Relations (IPR). This growing threat is critical for all of us to understand, train our teams to recognize and most importantly, have a plan to combat.

Disinformation is false information spread deliberately, typically with bad intent. It can damage your brand, mislead customers and erode trust…fast. Social media platforms and AI are making it easier to spread and harder to spot. In fact, Gartner predicts, corporations will spend $500 billion on disinformation security by 2028.

Take the example of Eli Lilly where a fake tweet claimed the company would provide free insulin. At the time the account had a blue check mark next to it suggesting that X (formerly Twitter) had already verified its authenticity as real. Eli Lilly’s stock plummeted by $15 billion overnight. The tweet looked real. The company responded, denied, and engaged in owning their narrative and redirecting conversations with facts.

What You Can Do

1. Monitor – Your reputation is your most important asset. Make sure you’re watching over it. Have a monitoring system in place (social listening, media alerts, etc.) and pay attention to what reports are telling you. Your team needs to know what’s real, what’s orchestrated and when and how to act.

2. Plan – Define clear escalation protocols and pre-approved messages for rapid response should your company experience a disinformation attack. Speed of response limits the spread.

3. Protect – Own our narrative. Speed and clarity are key. Redirect conversations to facts and cultivate a culture of vigilance.

If you want to learn more, watch the IPR Mini Class Master Class and sign the IPR Commitment.