PR Is Not Propaganda

Alexa: please play, “Lies.”

It’s the upbeat melody by popular 90s R&B group En Vogue. The hit song opens up with a very clear message:

I live my life a different way

Refuse to let myself become a victim

Getting caught up in a vicious web of lies

The narrator goes on to declare the song as a public service announcement, or a PSA. When I read the Politico piece, “Call It What It Is: Propaganda,” I couldn’t help but to see it as sort of a PSA, especially for PR pros like myself. The story points out the fact that there’s a line between an information campaign and propaganda and sheds light on a reality where Americans cannot recognize the difference. Troubling, I know.

While many may have trouble identifying fact or fiction, there is a level of public awareness that misinformation and disinformation exists. In 2019, the Institute of Public Relations (IPR) released the Disinformation in Society Report, which examined and tracked how disinformation was being spread in the U.S. At the time, 65% of those surveyed said misinformation and disinformation were a major problem in our society. The 2020 Disinformation in Society Report shows concern in these areas has waned slightly year-over-year to 61%. However, misinformation and disinformation issues are still deemed to be major problems more frequently than illegal drug use, crime, or gun violence. Even worse, 72% of people believe disinformation is a threat to our democracy.

I’ve read U.S. history enough to know propaganda isn’t new, nor is its effects, as the Politico article reminds us. For PR practitioners, this hurts our business and prevents us from carrying out our fundamental business function—building trust with stakeholders.

Widespread and rampant misinformation means we have to work harder to do our jobs, as the 10 Ways to Combat Misinformation infographic from IPR suggests. I’d also argue there are a few additional things you should keep in mind as you work to assure stakeholders your organization’s PR is not propaganda.

Here’s what I mean.

1. It’s going to take time. We didn’t get here overnight and we won’t fix it overnight. We all have our work cut out for us, so let’s work at being a part of the solution and not the problem.

2. You’re not in a silo. A fatal error is to think that your company or brand is not impacted. But, I recognize it’s hard to address something that we don’t believe is an issue. This might mean commissioning your own company survey to suss out the downstream impacts disinformation and misinformation may have on your company or business.

3. Be an effing leader. If you’re in a position as a PR practitioner to influence a leader, do it! Now is not the time for you to be idle and silent. Do what you are ethically called to do, even if it means your job. The only thing leading and lying have in common is that they start with the letter ‘L’. They are fundamentally on opposite ends of the character spectrum. Good leaders don’t mislead or misinform.

4. Call it out in your crisis plan. If your company, brand or product is tied to a lie. Say something. We’ve already seen this with cleaning and disinfectant brands like Clorox, Lysol and Tide. But it has to be a swift reaction because of today’s quick news cycle. So, go ahead and update your crisis communication strategy to address this possibility. It could be you next.

To continue the discussion, connect with me on Twitter or Instagram @Malizy.