Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight
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Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight
Social marketing, PR insight & thought leadership - from The PR Coach
Curated by Jeff Domansky
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Why do people share misinformation and rumors online during breaking news events? - First Draft News

Why do people share misinformation and rumors online during breaking news events? - First Draft News | Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight | Scoop.it

For some it is a prank, akin to a crank call for the digital age. For others, it’s a narcissistic effort to rack up likes and followers. Others see political opportunity and want to hijack people’s attention for their own political or commercial gain.


I've written before about those who originate misinformation and spread fake images during crises and disasters. But once the misinformation is out there, why do people share it? And how can understanding this question help us combat rumors and foster more trustworthy coverage and reporting during breaking news?


People want to helpPeople have never felt as close to breaking news as they do today. It shows up daily in our social media feeds, through graphic pictures and autoplay videos, unfiltered and raw. A series of tweets or a Facebook live video can bring us to the scene of a shooting, a bomb explosion, an earthquake. The result can be, as one author writes, a “burgeoning sense of helplessness.


”In the face of a tragedy unfolding in front of you a lot of people want to help. They want to tell their followers what is going on, to pass along important information, share dramatic photos that help add context to the chaos. Sometime these posts are even accompanied by warnings, safety advice, and specific calls out to friends and followers who might be affected. Matt Stempeck has studied how people mobilize online to support each other through “peer aid” in times of crisis....

Jeff Domansky's insight:

Understanding why people share hoaxes, even mistakenly, can help journalists and other truth-watchers overturn them, argues Josh Stearns.

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When PR Disaster Strikes: Lessons to Learn and Expert Advice | Bulldog Reporter

When PR Disaster Strikes: Lessons to Learn and Expert Advice | Bulldog Reporter | Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight | Scoop.it
No matter how well you prepare, sometimes things just go out of your control. It is not always possible to prevent a crisis. When it comes to PR campaigns, learning from your mistakes can be too costly. The trick should therefore be learning from other people’s mistakes.

According to the First Research study, the U.S. public relation industry is estimated to be at $10 billion, with above 7,000 U.S. firms in action in 2013. Still a large number of businesses suffer the adverse effects of PR disasters. Why is it so? Let’s take a take look at the factors that lead to PR disasters
Jeff Domansky's insight:

Lots of valuable crisis management advice from the experts. Good read.

Clément Ducrocq's curator insight, March 17, 2016 3:45 AM

Lots of valuable crisis management advice from the experts. Good read.

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Companies Fare Worse When the Press Exposes Their Problems Before They Do

Companies Fare Worse When the Press Exposes Their Problems Before They Do | Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight | Scoop.it

Take 2010, when BP was confronted with one of the biggest oil spills in history. It appeared that the organization waited to reveal all the facts until they knew that the spill had become unstoppable. Or 2015, when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board uncovered widespread cheating by Volkswagen on emissions standards – something Michael Horn, president and CEO of Volkswagen America, was alerted to a year earlier but remained silent. Even when the EPA confronted the company with their findings, Volkwagen missed the opportunity to communicate first. And more recently, The Wall Street Journal revealed a culture of secrecy at blood-testing start-up Theranos and questioned the effectiveness of the technology driving their operation, leading to a federal investigation.

In each case, the organization failed to self-disclose a crisis, and as a result, each faced enormous negative publicity that continues to draw critical attention from a broad public. Even Hollywood is interested: movies have been made, or are in the works, about all three scandals. The longstanding impact of a failure to acknowledge a problem cannot be overstated.

How should companies handle a crisis differently? Our research focuses on an alternative approach, one that is referred to as “stealing thunder.” It involves self-disclosing crises and major issues before media gets hold of the story. Earlier studies on stealing thunder have found that self-disclosing organizational crises increases the credibility of organizational spokespersons. When an organization breaks the news about incriminating events, these problems will also appear less severe. In addition, organizations that steal thunder are considered more reliable and consumers are more inclined to continue purchasing their products. Our recent study adds to these findings by examining if self-disclosing an organizational crisis may be as effective as it is because old news is considered no news. When self-disclosing incriminating information, individuals will perceive the subsequent negative publicity as old news, and hence, pay less attention to it....

Jeff Domansky's insight:

Research says proactive disclosure will help a company in a crisis.

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Is Volkswagen's CEO Following BP's Disastrous Playbook? | Mr. Media Training

Is Volkswagen's CEO Following BP's Disastrous Playbook? | Mr. Media Training | Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight | Scoop.it

It’s almost as if Volkswagen AG CEO Matthias Müller studied the performance of infamous British Petroleum CEO Tony “I’d like my life back” Hayward and said, “Yes, that’s how I’d like to respond to our own company’s crisis.”

VW, which is in the midst of an emissions-rigging scandal affecting millions of vehicles, has been accused by regulators of intentionally programming its engines to fool laboratory emissions tests.

Last week, Müller gave a phone interview to National Public Radio that went so poorly, he had to ask for a do-over. The first time around, the reporter asked him about the perception that his company has an ethical problem, not merely a technical one. He responded, “It was an ethical problem? I cannot understand why you say that.”

As you might imagine, that answer landed like a lead balloon—and his staff quickly blamed his tin-ear response on a noisy environment. According to Bloomberg Business...

Jeff Domansky's insight:

VW continues to struggle with its crisis and reputation management writes Brad Phillips.

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