How do you build trust as a corporate communicator amid a surge of misinformation?

Following the most recent India-Pakistan conflict over Kashmir, Guardian correspondent Hannah Ellis-Petersen described reporting from the region as navigating a “fog of disinformation”.

For journalists on the ground, the challenge isn’t just covering a volatile, fast-moving story. It’s also an attempt to navigate mis- and disinformation generated from the two parallel narratives on either side of the conflict.

“It’s been very difficult to establish fact from fiction,” Ellis-Petersen said when discussing reporting from the region. In that environment, very basic truths have been hard to come by, with disinformation on both sides being a difficult reality to navigate.

What is the impact of mis- and disinformation?

In moments like these, the information landscape becomes noisy, and destabilised. Contradictory statements and highly politicised media creates confusion, not just for the public, but for reporters under pressure to file accurate and timely stories.

It’s times like this when PR and communications professionals must seriously consider their role. The job at hand is not just to pitch for your client, but to provide clarity in often chaotic situations. When journalists are trying to piece together reality in a fractured information environment, they’re not looking for stories; they’re also looking for sources they can trust.

PRs can either feed the fog or, cut through it

Trust isn’t a buzzword in this context. It is vital for relevance in our profession. According to the 2025 State of the Media Report from Cision, 80 per cent of journalists say they would block a PR contact for sending too many irrelevant pitches.

That number is stark, but what would it be if a PR professional was found to be sharing false or misleading information? The risk of doing so is higher than ever, especially with the removal of third-party fact checking from many social media channels, for example.

How is mis- and disinformation affecting people and brands?

We’re seeing more real-world consequences when trust is lost. A recent example: Coca-Cola suffered significant backlash from US consumers following a wave of disinformation that suggested the brand supported anti-immigrant policies.

Despite the claims being false, the brand’s response was slow and muddled, which eroded trust. It’s a case study in how quickly disinformation can damage brand equity—and how critical timely, credible communication is in countering false information.

While it provides a strong example of the effects of disinformation, it is not a standalone case by any means.

How can communications help brands to differentiate and protect reputations?

At a time when AI-generated content, deepfakes and strategic disinformation campaigns are making it harder than ever to verify facts, being a credible and consistent source of truth for journalists is a huge differentiator.

As a communications professional, this means doing more than just tailoring subject lines. It means understanding the weight of what you’re releasing into the world. When information is weaponised, trust becomes a security blanket—for journalists, for audiences, and yes, for the brands or institutions PRs represent.

In the end, journalists will always be responsible for telling the story. But in the fog, they need better directions to guide their way. That’s where communicators can make the difference, not by trying to steer the narrative, but by anchoring it in truth.

Listen to Ellis-Petersen’s view on reporting on the conflict with The Guardian’s podcast, Today in Focus.

Image: Unsplash / Mika Baumeister