This news story shows that anyone can be a victim of fake news circulating the internet. PR practitioners should be concerned. What they need is comprehensive monitoring of both legitimate and fake news sites. Much of this can be done through search engines, but the goal is to stop fake news before it goes viral. Once it transports to the larger internet, there is little one can do to block it. Like a weed, it is best to uproot it before it propagates. There isn’t much that victims of fake news can do other than to sue, but that costs money and time and a business has to keep running to pay for litigation. Corporate targets can strike back, and should. It is unlikely that a progenitor of fake news has resources to pay a judgement against him, but the publicity will help alleviate the fraud. The First Amendment doesn’t protect deliberate lies.
Marston Strategic Communications
Communicators Who Get Results