Key insights from a confidential meeting of 15 top business leaders in London
Learn how to tackle fake news at the corporate level.
‘Fake news’: a term largely popularised by President Trump, its origins could lead you to believe it represents merely a political problem.
But don’t be fooled. In its internet form, fake news is faster, more accessible and disguisable than ever before, and it can wreak havoc in the corporate domain.
- 2013 saw a fake Associated Press tweet written by a hacker wipe out $130 billion in stock value in minutes.
- In 2014 a fake press release meant G4S stock price become volatile despite actually posting good results.
- In 2016 a fake quote attributed to Pepsi’s CEO wiped 6% off its stock price within days.
With countless freelancing bloggers contributing to business news sites, (sometimes publishing up to 5 pieces under different names) wildly exaggerated or downright fake news articles can go viral and make their way to major publishes, manipulating the direction of the whole market. We spoke with 15 senior business leaders from some of London’s most important organizations about the challenge of dealing with fake news for this report.