How charities can fight back against the COVID-19 'fake news' epidemic

What have charities got to do with it?

The coronavirus pandemic has exposed even more starkly how fundamental charities are to the social wellbeing of the UK, stepping in to fill the gaps where Government services have fallen short and continuing to be a vital safety net for society’s most vulnerable.

In the internet age, it’s not just the role of official news publications to disseminate information. It is the role of charities to be an authority in the area they serve, and if your charity communicates over social media or the internet, this includes you. Just like everyone must help stop the spread of the virus, charities have a responsibility to help stop the dangerous ’infodemic’ of false information.

So how can we fight back? IBT (International Broadcasting Trust)’s report ’Faking it – fake news and how it impacts on the charity sector’ sets out some recommendations on how charities should work to gain the trust of the public in an atmosphere of mistrust, rise above the din and educate people:

• Maintain a strong communication strategy, built around strong core values. This is is the only way "to be heard above the increasingly strident competing voices on platforms like Facebook and Twitter"

• Train key staff in verification methods so that information coming from your charity is always carefully scrutinised. First Draft, an organisation dedicated to helping fight disinformation, has resources and training for communications professionals specifically on covering coronavirus accurately

• Check your sources: "Good journalism has always involved checking sources and verifying evidence and the same rules apply to NGOs," says the IBT. "Amnesty has set up its own Digital Verification Corps to ensure that all content in its research is authentic." Ensure your sources are specific and trusted, and if in doubt, don’t spread it. Government health websites and the World Health Organisation website are always the best sources of health information related to the coronavirus

• Be especially careful with numbers, statistics and data visualisations as these are surprisingly easy to manipulate and mislead. Where there are videos or images, make sure you know the source as these can easily be used in the wrong context

• Be transparent: "Whilst it is essential that NGOs ensure that any information provided or shared by them is accurate, it is equally important that they are transparent about their sources and methods of authentication. Being prepared to share their methodology is another way of building trust with the media"

• Don’t just regurgitate what’s out there in the same way. Content that is engaging, accessible and includes original storytelling is always more likely to be valued, listened to and understood

• Equally, strong branding is essential for charities to differentiate themselves from other, less reliable information sources. "It’s difficult to differentiate between brands online," says IBT. "Package your material in an identifiable way – and NGOs are good at this these days – so that people recognise it"

• Invest in relationships with trusted media outlets to help reinforce and amplify messaging