Fake News, AI-Generated Content – how Brands are Changing Tactics to Support Factual Journalism

Traditional journalism has been fighting a battle for well over a decade now. PR, Comms professionals and journalists know very well about the struggle to retain audience numbers, and of the mortal threat posed by to the industry by fake news articles and misleading AI-generated content.

To make matters worse, Elon Musk regularly uses his own global social platform X to take aim at what he calls ‘legacy media’, stating to the citizens of the world ‘You are the media now’.

Leading PR and Comms teams understand the need to shift their PR approach and to utilise new tactics and technology. They identify the need to integrate journalist support as a higher objective, and therefore successfully develop strong media reputations for their brand and deliver more credible results.

Let’s take a look at some of the recent tactics:

1 – Become a trusted media source

In previous years, an online newsroom was a website through which brands simply hosted press releases, expecting media pick-up. This is no longer the case. Instead, take a look at Dunlop Sports’ site.  This advanced newsroom attracts and engages a much wider range of the brand’s target audiences, and supports all media content, such as images, social posts and brand ambassador stories.

2 – Utilise AI technology to find the facts

Fake news and AI generated content is the worst nightmare for journalists trying to report factually, convoluting search engine results with incorrect information. New AI technology breaking through in the PR industry is combatting the issue and is set to become a major tool in fighting fake news. Journalists can search for any term, input any question and know that the revealed information and content is 100% verified.

3 – Power-up your search function

How effective is the search function on your website or newsroom for journalists looking for news or content? There are many variables that can affect a search function, which makes it a complex tool to develop and manage. Luckily, for PRs and media, the new AI research tool is replacing the search function of online newsrooms, ensuring accuracy and trusted results every time. What’s more, the AI Research Assistant can be easily integrated into any platform and will only pull data from the brand’s own verified content.

4 – Integrate social & support influencers & content creators

Influencers and content creators have become important as ‘traditional’ journalists’, driving trends and pushing content with an authentic voice to engaged, target audiences. How are leading brands best supporting their influencer groups? Take a look adidas’ new site, an advanced newsroom which incorporates its social post with traditional news releases and influencer content.

5 – Launch a 24/7 journalist assistant

PR Week’s 2023 survey revealed that 42% of journalists said they don’t receive responses or they receive incomplete responses when they reach out to a PR professional. We’re not here to blame PRs, we all know there can be many reasons why this can happen, however imagine the impact on the brand and its reputation with the journalist. With this new technology, PRs have their very own assistant, which can respond to journalist enquiries and questions effectively, instantly, 24/7, 365 days a year.

6 – Improve your data

How do you know the content that you’re creating is what journalists want or need?  The new AI comms tool tracks and reports back to you the exact phrases and questions journalists are searching for. Using these insights brands can plug information gaps in their online newsrooms they previously weren’t aware of and use the date to guide future PR and comms strategies.

Conclusion

Overall, it’s clear to see that forward thinking brands are evolving their tactics to place emphasis on trusted media-support to advance their brand presence. The technology has been developed, and it’s available. It’s now up to PR teams, brands and organisations to work together with the media to fight back against the erosion of trust.