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When you get wind of a breaking news story, where do you look first to check the facts? Do you open social media, tap a trusted news app, or ask a Generative AI (Gen AI) tool to summarize the key points? We now live in an age where access to information is immediate, constant and increasingly difficult to navigate.
This flood of content brings clear benefits, but it also creates fertile ground for disinformation. It’s now easier than ever for false or misleading content to be produced and shared, whether by bad actors with an agenda or simply through repetition without verification. In the context of fast-moving news cycles and frictionless sharing, inaccurate narratives can take hold quickly and prove difficult to dislodge.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is accelerating this challenge in subtle ways. Algorithms now anticipate the kinds of content users are likely to engage with and feed them more of it. Audiences are increasingly vulnerable to being served personalized disinformation, designed to confirm their biases and reinforce their views.
Against this backdrop, the role of communications leaders is shifting. The Voice of the Chief Communications Officer, a new report from Fire on the Hill, draws on insights from over 200 senior communications professionals across the UK and the US. It offers a snapshot of a profession in transition and highlights how disinformation is becoming a growing concern for brands.
When asked about the biggest forces shaping the future of communications, nearly one in five respondents (19 per cent) cited “misinformation and reputational risk” as their top concern. For sectors like clean tech, where innovation is often politicized, the implications are significant.
Headwinds for the clean tech sector
The global shift toward renewable energy is well underway, but it is not immune to resistance. Clean technologies like wind, solar and geothermal often become lightning rods for ideological battles. As a result, they are particularly exposed to distorted narratives, both overt and subtle.
The wind industry has long been the subject of unfounded claims: from exaggerated reports about bird deaths to fictitious conditions such as “turbine sickness”. While many of these myths are easily debunked, they gain traction online and can powerfully influence public sentiment and policymaking.
The facts, meanwhile, tell a very different story. But without careful communication, facts alone often aren’t enough to win trust. The risk isn’t just theoretical. In a fragmented media environment, the cost of allowing a misleading narrative to spread can be reputational damage, public confusion, and regulatory delays. This is where proactive, integrated communication becomes essential.
The role of communications in countering mis- and disinformation
Communications leaders are rethinking how they engage with audiences. Rather than simply reacting to negative coverage, many are adopting strategies designed to anticipate and prevent misinformation from taking hold. In times of uncertainty, people look to credible sources. Earned media, coverage in respected outlets, can lend authority and trustworthiness.
More organizations are turning to pre-bunking – the proactive strategy of anticipating likely misinformation and addressing it before it spreads. This could be through FAQs, myth-busting blog posts, explainers, or case studies that demonstrate an organization’s values and actions.
By creating a track record of transparency and consistency, brands can build trust that holds up under scrutiny. As Beth Goldberg from Google’s Jigsaw team has noted, pre-bunking works because it gives audiences context before they’re exposed to misinformation, effectively building a cognitive shield against misleading narratives.
Social media remains the fastest moving and most visible arena for public opinion. It’s often the first-place journalists check, the first-place consumers comment, and the first-place misinformation spreads. Communications leaders are learning that staying silent online is no longer a neutral act. As Miranda Higham, Director of Corporate Relations at Channel 4, put it: “The world has changed, and we all need to tell our stories vigorously, and need to do it in viral and digestible ways.”
That doesn’t mean chasing trends or oversimplifying complex issues. It means being present with clarity, consistency, and credible content – and aligning communications strategies with where audiences actually go to find information. In sectors like clean tech, communications teams are increasingly called upon to correct the record, defend progress, and help to shape public understanding.
To do this effectively, they need to build a foundation of trust across every channel, engaging proactively with emerging narratives, and recognizing that reputation is now a shared, public asset, one that must be constantly earned.
Image: Unsplash / Thomas Richter
