PR Lessons From Facebook's Misinformation Crisis

This year, the social media platform has received blowback after instances of third-party data privacy concerns and failure to rein in false or fake posts and advertisements.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has found himself on Capitol Hill multiple times defending his company’s stance and logistics. If that weren’t enough, Facebook has unveiled a series of new policies supposedly intended to curb hostile actors and foreign governments from weaponizing the platform ahead of the 2020 presidential elections.

Media reaction to Zuckerberg’s recent moves has been less than forgiving.

For brands with their own PR crisis on their hands, here are three main takeaways from Facebook’s ongoing saga.

1. Transparency without truth is an empty gesture

"Mark Zuckerberg is on a transparency tour," wrote Vox’s Rani Molla at the outset of Zuckerberg’s counter-campaign this month, but “Mark Zuckerberg said a lot of nothing in his big speech...does it matter if you’re being transparent if you aren’t really saying anything?”

Modern audiences are more cynical than ever, and hailing transparency for transparency’s sake simply won’t cut it any more.

If audiences find no substance or consistency in a brand’s public declarations, not only are they sure to be unconvinced but more unimpressed than ever before. Zuckerberg’s failure to recognize this could be a fatal mistake, and proof of just how out of touch he really is.

"If Zuckerberg’s relentless optimism is simply a canny P.R. strategy, then perhaps a new combination of incentives — a regulatory tweak here, a mass boycott there — would be enough to make him change course," writes Andrew Marantz of The New Yorker, "The more alarming scenario is that Zuckerberg is actually high on his own supply.”

2. Focus on bad behavior, not bad content

If Zuckerberg’s current claim to optimism is, after all, just a PR strategy, it seems even Facebook has realized it isn’t enough.

In a quick turnaround from comments by Zuckerberg that Facebook would not ban political advertising, the social media platform announced a set of measures intended "to help protect the democratic process and [provide] an update on initiatives already underway."

The policies outline a three-pronged effort to combat foreign interference, increase transparency, and reduce misinformation. In doing so, Facebook has declared war on bad actors and their behavior, not their content.

3. Show, don’t just tell

As part of its declarations toward transparency, Facebook has also announced a tangible change to their Pages platform.

“We’re adding more information about who is behind a Page, including a new 'Organizations That Manage This Page' tab that will feature the Page’s 'Confirmed Page Owner,” Facebook announced.

Announcing such a step has been a critical move in assuaging fears that Facebook’s response to misinformation concerns will be a whole lot of hot air. The announced changes are tangible, and specific, and have already done wonders for the platform’s case against critics.

For communications experts, let Facebook’s current saga be a lesson: audience distrust is as rife as ever, and transparency without action is a waste of time. Plan a brand’s crisis response accordingly.

Ronn Torossian is one of America’s foremost Public Relations executives as founder/CEO of 5WPR, a leading independent public relations Agency. The firm was honored as PR Firm of the Year by The American Business Awards, and has been named to the Inc. 500 List. Torossian is author of the best-selling "For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results with Game-Changing Public Relations." For more of Ronn Torossian's reports, Go Here Now.