#fakenews and the always-on news cycle Jason Boxt and Mike Fernandez June 2017

Communications world is changing

Trust in media historically low

Republicans share DEEP mistrust

Trust problem not going to get better

#fakenews is not a new phenomenon… Salem Witch Trials of the 1692-3. Gave Puritans a way to address non-conformity. Paul Revere and Israel Bissell - 1775 Bissell traveled many more miles – all the way to Philadelphia in fact Warning thousands more than Revere ever did But perhaps Longfellow found 86 years later it was much easier to rhyme words with Revere than Bissell Listen, my children, and you shall hear Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere, On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-Five: Hardly a man is now alive Who remembers that famous day and year. (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Paul Revere’s Ride – 1861) 1884 Presidential campaign James Blaine and Grover Cleveland Blaine: “Ma, Ma where’s my pa…Going to the white house ha, ha.” Cleveland supporters responded with tales of kick-backs to Blaine for his support of continental railroad interests and retorted: “Blaine, Blaine the Continental liar from the State of Maine.” 1898 – Teddy Roosevelt and others used the explosion of the USS Maine to enter into the Spanish-American War to oust Spain from Cuba and the Caribbean 1950s – US Senator Joe McCarthy from Wisconsin used fear of the Soviet Union and Communism to drive a wedge into American politics…bringing people before Congressional hearings to ask: “Are you or have you ever been associated with the Communist Party.” 2002-2004 – Weapons of Mass Destruction

#fakenews is everywhere MIT scientists say Trump misused their climate change research to defend leaving Paris accord        President Donald Trump announces his decision Thursday to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accord. –Doug Mills/The New York Times MARKAZ The $110 billion arms deal to Saudi Arabia is fake news Bruce RiedelMonday, June 5, 2017                                                                                                                                                                     Getty Images/iStockphoto 13.7: cosmos and culture Is Do-It-Yourself Fact Checking The Future?

How fake news goes viral – a case study November 20, 2016 After 53 Hours…16,000 shares on Twitter… and more than 350,000 shares on Facebook, the author admits that the busses did not actually carry any protestors.

#fakenews is political fodder

Some have come out on top…

…others have been harmed

#fakenews is confusing

#fakenews is exhausting

(Of those who recall) Perception of accuracy #fakenews is working Recall of fake stories (Of those who recall) Perception of accuracy Ipsos/Buzzfeed News – December 2016

#fakenews is working

Principles for navigating our new world of fake news and the always-on news cycle Conduct risk assessment to understand vulnerabilities/opportunities Establish narrative/proof points If you know something is coming, potential to turn it into an advantage Prepare Gather intelligence about advisors/stakeholders influencing key political leaders, find ways to reach them Reinforce you are part of the solution, not part of the problem Get Ahead of the Curve Often better to set the agenda than to be the agenda A tepid response can lead to criticism Be true to who you are and what you stand for – authenticity Engage

jboxt@ps-b.com mike.fernandez@bm.com Jason Boxt and Mike Fernandez June 2017