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Ten Steps to Take When Your Brand is the Victim of Fake News

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Fake news can strike any brand at any time. It hit ours recently. Consider this a playbook for what to do when fake news hits your brand.  For clarity, I’m not talking about how to respond to a story in which facts were misinterpreted or taken out of context. I’m not talking about editorials, either. I’m talking about a completely fabricated story that has no basis in fact and is damaging to your brand. When fake news hits, it will almost certainly spread via Facebook first. Follow the steps below and you’ll make it through as unscathed as possible. Make sure the fake news story is actually fake. Don’t proceed with the next steps unless it’s truly fake news and has no basis in fact. Draft a brief statement (3-4 sentences) to communicate four things: You are aware of the fake news story  It’s truly fake news You are working to take down the story You are contacting each person who has shared the story online and asking them to remove their post Communicate to your empl