Disinformation as a corporate risk: the need for a new methodological approach

Abstract

This research aims to determine the need for a crisis management model on reputational risks related to media misinformation. Companies recognize that they are facing a new corporate risk and the professional communication sector recognizes the urgency of having measures in the face of a hoax event. For this, the research carried out on Spanish companies on their perception of risk is taken as a starting point, where it was determined that for the professional the risks derived from misinformation are highly dangerous and the gap between the professional perception and the priorities of the organization. This qualitative report, with focus groups on a qualified sample of those responsible for the reputation and corporate communication of Spanish companies, reviews the trend of these crises and the system used in crisis management. The results corroborate the need to create a base methodology that collects the foundations on which disinformation acts. This fact is giving rise to new work dynamics and provides knowledge in the creation of efficient dynamics for the fight against misinformation. The conclusions propose a methodological scheme that can improve the work of communication professionals.