Blog
UK Government cracks down on spread of coronavirus disinformation, announces DCMS inquiry
The Government has stepped up its fight against disinformation on the internet.
Lib Dems in owned media manipulation
The Libs Dems are playing a dirty disinformation game with the oldest form of political campaign media.
Faking an owned or social media account is wrong
The Conservative Party changed its Twitter account to @FactCheckUK during the ITV Leaders Debate. It’s plainly wrong.
How to stop fake news and misinformation
A new #FuturePRoof guide highlights the ills of the web. It’s the start of an important conversation about how communicators tackle disinformation and fix the broken web.
Letter from Newcastle: thank you Pam and sorry Sarah
The internet finds an engagement ring, PRCA Census spotlights £15 billion industry, fabricated storytelling, Comms School end of term, and a new #FuturePRoof podcast.
People need to stop saying
Fabricated storytelling has become commonplace in public discourse. It’s a form of fake news that erodes trust between an organisation and the public.
Letter from 30,000 feet: airplane mode
Wifi in the sky, fake news toolkit, Wikipedia’s gender bias, ethics of AI manipulation, marketing and PR measurement, and farewell social for Lush.
Fake news report picks easy target in Facebook
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport fake news report disappoints in its single-minded attack on Facebook as the destroyer of public discourse and democracy.
UK Government Select Committee report calls for social media regulation
Media standards must be applied to social media to prevent democratic abuse. This is among the recommendations from a UK Government Select Committee report on fake news.
Flawed news
A breaking news story this weekend demonstrates how fake news travels thanks to human curiosity, algorithms and search. Reporting the death of an individual should be an ethical red line, whatever the media.
Hold the front page: the news business remains a work in progress
A well-functioning news media is critical to democracy. A series of recent studies report on the health of the business of news.
Tackling manipulation on Twitter
Twitter has no further plans to tackle fake news on the platform ahead of the UK General Election. Users need to be vigilant to sources of abuse.
Donald Trump’s communication codex: rebuttal, dead cats, diversion and hyperbole
Can you make sense of Donald Trump’s communication style? Organisations must stand up for what they believe in.