Counteracting The Internet Rumor

from the new-challenges dept

These days, an internet based rumor can spread around the world in less than a day, and most large companies have no idea what to do about responding to false rumors about their company. It appears that communications professionals haven't caught on to the fact that emailed rumors can have a serious impact on their business. A few companies have learned how to respond, but many simply ignore the rumors, letting them grow. Of course, some say it's a fine line, since responding too loudly to rumors can just draw more attention to them. However, making sure that the information on how to respond is in the hands of the right people is going to increasingly be a very important part of the PR business. The article mentions that, in a recent study of 24 Fortune 500 companies that were the subject of internet rumors and hoaxes - only 3 handled the rumors "in a responsible manner" (though, they don't describe exactly what this means or how it was judged).

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