As today’s technology and political divisions continue to evolve, “fake news” and AI-generated deepfakes continue to blur the lines between fact and fiction. Companies face growing pressure to take a stand on truth and transparency, especially when their own brand is being misrepresented. However, determining how proactive to be—and when to step back—can be a delicate balancing act.
To help, Forbes Communications Council members explain how companies can responsibly engage in the fight against misinformation while protecting credibility, trust and brand integrity.
“Brands can’t stay silent in a misinformation economy, yet they also shouldn’t act as arbiters of truth. Their role is to be a beacon of verified authenticity. That means prioritizing identity-verified content, transparent sourcing and auditability across every channel. The goal isn’t to out-shout misinformation. It is to earn trust through proof, precision and consistency.” – Hope Frank, Gathid
1. Educate Your Consumers And Establish A Trust Center
Brand impersonation and misinformation have become some of the most under-recognized business risks today. While cybersecurity teams can take down look-alike domains, marketing and comms pros can play an active role, too. Educate your customers on how you communicate. Establish a trust center. Align marketing, legal and cybersecurity teams, and measure exposure, not just incidents. – Chris McKie, Embed Security
2. Fact-Check Data And Clarify AI Use
In B2B organizations like ours, trust drives deals. Brands must model transparency by fact-checking data, clarifying AI use and elevating credible voices. When buying cycles are long and stakes are high, authenticity isn’t just ethics—it’s revenue protection. – Anna Eliot, pharosIQ
3. Build Trust Through Relentless Consistency
Trust is the only real defense against misinformation. In a crisis, you won’t have the resources to wage hand-to-hand combat with every lie. Trust is built through relentless consistency between what you say and what you do. That consistent alignment creates a defensive moat when misinformation inevitably targets you. – Bradley Akubuiro, Bully Pulpit Interactive
4. Shape Your Preferred Brand Narrative Through Owned Content
Brands must take an active role in shaping their own narratives. By telling your story consistently and ensuring owned content is optimized for discovery across search and AI chatbots, you give audiences direct access to your preferred brand narrative. This strengthens consumer trust and helps set the tone for third-party narratives, creating alignment across your brand’s constellation of assets. – Shannon Reedy, Terakeet
5. Publish Journalistic Content That Builds Trust
Part of your content marketing program can include journalism that combats misinformation. This valuable content should acquire leads and build trust. You’re only too proactive if you assume you have everything figured out. Remind readers that you’re open to their feedback and willing to update stories as new info becomes available. – Joseph Rauch, Joseph Rauch, LLC
6. Have Your C-Suite Deliver The Right Message At The Right Time
Silence creates stagnation. Proactive, consistent communication ensures accurate information sharing, which safeguards reputation. The C-suite needs to be out front with the right message at the right time. A sustained practice of being clear and authentic carries brands through more chaotic times, even when facts change or appear uncertain. – Rachel Kule, Pursuit PR
7. Proactively Vet Your Own Content And Lead With Clarity
Proactive doesn’t mean reactive. It means responsible. Your brand should be a lighthouse, not a loudspeaker. Be proactive about vetting your own content, from claims to visuals to sources. Train spokespeople and AI users internally to flag hallucinations, misattributions or bias. Lead with clarity, citations and real-world context, especially in complex B2B spaces where the truth is often nuanced. – Colby Proffitt, Carbyne
8. Shift From A Content Creator To A Trust Infrastructure
Brands must move from content creators to trust infrastructures. That could mean blockchain-verifiable messaging, AI watermarking or even partnering with journalists and fact-checkers. If we want attention, we must earn credibility, algorithmically and emotionally. – Jorge Lukowski, NEORIS
9. Ensure Every Message Is Factual, Consistent And Transparent
Protect credibility through clarity. Verify information before sharing, cite reliable sources and correct mistakes quickly. Trust grows when every message is factual, consistent and transparent. The role of a brand is not to react to every rumor but to communicate honestly, educate its audience and stay steady when uncertainty spreads. – Sarah Chambers, SC Strategic Communications
10. Anchor Your Narrative In Verifiable Facts
In an era of fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD), our role as communication professionals is to consistently anchor the narrative in verifiable facts. “Too proactive” is leaving your center to fight on the periphery, validating the noise. A brand with true gravity pulls the conversation back to reality, letting FUD collapse on its own. – Reyne Quackenbush, Thoughtworks
11. Share Your Opinions And Don't Sway From Them
Brands need to be conscious of what is said about them in the market so they can help control the narrative. Interject into the conversation, make your opinions and stances clear and don’t sway from them. If a brand stays authentic and true to its beliefs, consumers will know what’s real and what’s fake. – Joe Ariganello, Veracode
12. Cite Your Sources And Leverage Real Professional Endorsements
Connecting content to source is one key way to help fight misinformation. Brands can borrow from the academic playbook and cite sources, directly link to verified content and data, and leverage true professional endorsements from real humans. – Barnaby Pung, Merit Network
13. Be Transparent About Your AI Usage
Brands should be transparent about when AI is used in their content or products. Labeling AI-generated material builds trust and sets ethical standards. In an era of misinformation, honesty about how content is created is just as important as the message itself—it reinforces credibility and accountability. – Cody Gillund, Grounded Growth Studio
14. Be A Beacon Of Verified Authenticity
Brands can’t stay silent in a misinformation economy, yet they also shouldn’t act as arbiters of truth. Their role is to be a beacon of verified authenticity. That means prioritizing identity-verified content, transparent sourcing and auditability across every channel. The goal isn’t to out-shout misinformation. It is to earn trust through proof, precision and consistency. – Hope Frank, Gathid | Gathered Identities
15. Build A Strong Record Of Reliability
In the deepfake era, credibility is currency. Brands should anchor their communication in traceable truth—showing sources, clarifying AI use and owning corrections. The goal isn’t to fight every falsehood, but to build a record of reliability so strong that misinformation can’t compete with your consistency. – Katie Jewett, UPRAISE Marketing + Public Relations
16. Create A Measurable Process For Addressing Misinformation
If you aren’t proactive at this point, you’re unprepared to handle misinformation. Create a process to address misinformation that provides transparency and clarity. Treat your brand’s credibility as a KPI. Measure it. – Jennifer Best, AmICredible
17. Invest In Content Verification Technology And Processes
In an age of misinformation, brands must take a proactive role in safeguarding truth. This includes investing in content verification technology and processes, building rapid response and correction protocols and educating audiences before falsehoods gain traction. Proactivity must be measured, as overreach can erode trust. Credibility comes from consistent, transparent and principled action. – Rob Robinson, HaystackID
18. Correct Errors Quickly And Don't Amplify Rumors
Brands should treat truth as a core value and show their work. They should publish sources and keep a rapid fact-check lane with legal and comms. They should correct errors quickly, never amplify rumors and partner with trusted third parties when needed. Be proactive, not performative. – Heather Stickler, Tidal Basin Group
19. Combat Misinformation That Directly Affects You
Brands should combat misinformation that directly affects them and support a broader information infrastructure (fact-checking, media literacy) without overreaching. Key actions include transparent communication, rapid response to false claims, responsible ad placement and verified channels. The risk is becoming truth arbiters beyond their expertise or weaponizing “misinformation” against legitimate criticism. – Anshuman Dutta, Cognizant
20. Double Down On Original Pieces And Real Moments
See opportunity in the deepfake fog. While others fight rumors, double down on what can’t be faked at scale: original set pieces and real, live moments. Host unscripted demos, open-studio days and Q&As. Publish one-take, behind-the-scenes cuts with timestamps and receipts. Don’t claim you’re real—prove it. When others zig into synthetic polish, you zag into undeniable reality. – Sanel Mezbur, Arkenstone
