Communicators Guide the Narrative Around Civility and Combatting Misinformation
When social media was just starting to become more prevalent in business, I would advise clients that anyone with a cellphone and an Internet connection could be considered a “journalist.” Not in the “I have a degree in journalism” sort of way, but rather that their viewpoints and opinions now had a public forum to be shared and broadcast.
It wasn’t that I could look into a crystal ball and see the future, it was more a statement of fact. With access to technology, we could now create our own content and those that were interested in what we had to say would find a way to us.
And we have certainly seen that happen. Heck, even the content of this blog is the views and opinions of the HMA team.
But how does one know if what they are reading is opinion, fact or an attempt to mislead. Professional communicators have been grappling with that question for several years now. And the Public Relations Society of America has made some great strides in providing its members and others in the profession with tools and strategies to guide conversations and address some of the more challenging topics in our society today.
Earlier this year, PRSA launched Voices 4 Everyone. According to the website, Voices4Everyone (V4E) underscores the role, value, and power of public relations and professional communicators in advancing the public good. We shared some information about it when it launched earlier this year.
Michelle Olson, APR, is the current chair of PRSA and joined Adrian and me on the Copper State of Mind podcast to discuss V4E, the proliferation of mis-, mal- and disinformation and how organizations like PRSA and its members are combatting it.
Take a listen.
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