The Do’s and Don’t’s of Dealing with Fake News

No one can predict when fake news is going to creep its way to your social networks and search engines. Hopefully, this never happens to you.

But the world is unpredictable, anything can happen.

All you can do is have a solid follow-up plan to deal with it.

Here are some do’s and don’t’s of managing fake news in Singapore.

1. DON’T Panic

Your first reaction probably is to panic. But acting on your emotions would probably be the worst business decision you make.

It’s perfectly normal to react negative to false information about your company. But try not to let it control your business decisions.

2. DON’T Respond With Hate

Sure, it is horrifying to discover fake news about your company or yourself. But getting too fired up and flaring up by posting more hate on social media is just going to add fuel to the fire. Don’t start a war – plain and simple.

3. DON’T Ignore It

It might be tempting to simply ignore fake news, but that might not be the wisest routine.

By ignoring, you may be tempting unsatisfied users and haters to bash your company even more in the digital space. This isn’t going to be smart for your business reputation in the long run.

4. DON’T Admit Defeat

Haters are going to hate, but you can’t let fake news win.

Imagine spending years and years building your brand only to have your reputation slapped with an article that falsely accuses your company of performing misdeeds.

Are you going to let the haters win?

NO.

Then again, you don’t need to start a war to deal with fake news in Singapore. Instead…

5. DO Check Before Taking Any Drastic Action

Getting embroiled in false gossip is bad enough. Denying it but later finding out that it is actually true is even worse.

On your end, check if the allegations against your business are really fictitious. Have a look at the source, investigate their background and try to think of a motive.

But if they are indeed true…

6. DO Own Up to It

If you messed up, the best way to salvage your business reputation is to own up to it and apologize.

While you can’t stop users from gossiping about your brand, you can own up to it to prevent more lies from spinning out of control.

Post a public statement on your website or social networks to apologize and take corrective action from there. Assure your target audience that your management will look into matters and prevent such occurrences from taking place again.

7. DO Offer a Solution

If you have been reading our blog long enough, you might have come across our guide to responding to negativity online.

Whether the news is fake or not, responding in a professional manner and presenting solutions is key to preserving a respectable business reputation.

In this case, it would be vital to post a public statement from your company to address the issue and describe how your company will take greater care in administering products and services.

8. (If Necessary…) DO Consult a Specialist

Sometimes dealing with fake news would involve speaking to lawyers and leveraging special handling of copyright disputes. It could also incorporate some Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to push the rankings of your website up and the fake sites down.

This is where a professional online reputation management expert can provide some assistance.

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No One Likes a Bully

Don’t believe everything you read on the internet just because there’s a picture with a quote next to it. – Abraham Lincoln (source)

Fake news remains a pertinent issue across various industries from politics to marketing and the rest of the world. While it is never fun to deal with fake news on a public digital space, fake news is not something you should ever ignore.