ARTICLE

#ISTHISJOE? FAKE NEWS EQUALS PR BLUES

Joe Lycett has sent the internet into meltdown with the announcement that he’s behind a series of ‘fake news’ stories that have appeared across pretty much every national news publication.

From the BBC to the Daily Mail, this stunt has highlighted the proliferation of fake news that keeps the infowars running and serves as a healthy reminder to everyone to CHECK YOUR SOURCES.

PR is a profession that relies on the news. At Pearl Comms, we’re constantly reading, monitoring and updating our clients on the latest movements of specific stories, as well as hungrily searching out new opportunities for them to shine on the regional or national stage. To do this, we need to make sure that our sources are credible – but how?

When in doubt – go to the source.

If an article is reporting on a piece of research, always follow the links back to the source to make sure the figures haven’t been fiddled with. When linking to data, it’s vital to use credible resources such as the Office for National Statistics, registered bodies, renowned institutions or specific government department websites. A little bit of sleuthing when conducting your research could save a huge headache later down the line.

Speaking of sleuthing… #isthisjoe?

One of the main contenders for Joe Lycett’s fake news stories seems to be the woman who ‘rescued’ a hedgehog that turned out to be a hat bobble, but with more waiting to be uncovered, we’ve listed some of our favourites below:

A doctor recommending against eating an easter egg in one sitting (mission impossible, surely.)
North Korean TV censoring Alan Titchmarsh’s jeans (maybe he could have ironed them first?)
The Birmingham Banksy artwork (even Banksy can’t resist Snobs)
The solar eclipse (yes, we know – it’s all fun and games until the conspiracies come out…)

Whatever the stories turn out to be, we want to thank Joe for sending out the message loud and clear that anyone can be taken in by fake news – even the nationals – if we don’t actively work to verify the truth.