<b>Rajiv Dingra:</b> Grappling with fake news on digital

It would not be incorrect to say that the internet is fast, uncontrollable and rapidly becoming dangerous. I don't mean to scare you here but look around you. Post something on Twitter and it is picked up in a matter of seconds by those following you. They, in turn, share it on their feed. And bingo! The news is no longer restricted to a small group of people. Everybody who is remotely interested in you will know. Needless to say, the good, bad and at times downright ugly (news) will also spread. And so will the bane of fake news, basically false stories that have no basis at all.

Take, for instance, recent stories of movie stars like Dilip Kumar passing away or actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan committing suicide. They were clearly baseless but spread like wildfire.

Why go any further, look at the period when demonetisation was announced last November. Rumour-mongering was at its peak fuelled in part by the uncertainty on the ground and the fear in people's minds. While the government had announcements to make virtually every day regarding new limits and notes, a good part of their time was spent clarifying on the fake news doing the rounds.

Generally, any thing that impacts the layman is prone to be faked. In today’s viral world, where information moves at the click of a button, brands, businesses and individuals have to be careful.

Clearly, fake news can stem from anywhere and can quickly escalate into a full-blown crisis, if not handled intelligently.

At a time when people are bombarded with information from all over, it is not surprising that most of them barely have the time to verify what they read and neither do most readers seem inclined to do it. It is this indifferent attitude that has actually fuelled the phenomenon of fake news on digital.  This clearly poses a challenge for brand managers, who’ve no way of stemming this rot. 

I have a few suggestions to make for brand managers grappling with fake news: 

Track your brand keywords 24 by 7: Whether you are an individual, celebrity or a brand, your name is your identity and tracking it should be your top-most priority. More so at a time when there is an information overload. Remember we don’t live in a nine-to-five world. So tracking your keywords will have to be real-time. 

Respond quickly and promptly: The timing of your response to the fake news is critical. Many brands and individuals take way too long in responding to the fake news. And by the time they realise it, the news has become viral. The sooner you respond, the better the chance of nipping the story in the bud, diverting the attention of the reader to the real story instead. 

Identify the right spokesperson: Ensure that the right person is assigned to address the issue. The brand representative should be readily available and capable of answering all questions. Depending on the severity of the issue, the CEO of the afflicted company or brand would need to step in. Key members of the team should be apprised of all developments and should be prepared to handle all eventualities. 

Communicate clearly: Refuting fake news means communicating very clearly that it is not true. Calling out a fake news as false, allows the communicator to get the attention of the reader back on to the real story. That is key. 

Use all channels of communication: When refuting fake news, it is important to respond via all channels of communication. This way you can kill it everywhere. Places where it has appeared and places you suspect it could go. So don't hesitate to use social media platforms or forums, video-sharing channels and websites, and news websites. It is vital for the death of the false story.

Founder and CEO of WATConsult, part of the Dentsu Aegis Network