Building Trust to Combat the Spread of Misinformation about Corporations
Fake news has been blamed for its role in undermining democratic processes and hurting the self-esteem of teenagers, but corporations are also feeling its effects. Misinformation about organizations can be direct—such as false claims about products or about corporate policies—and the repercussions can lead to stock price drops or revenue hits. Roberto Cavazos, an economics professor at the University of Baltimore, estimated that the spread of false and misleading messages online alone cost the global economy $78 billion in 2019.1