Fake it until you break it? Why trust matters more than ever
Any good relationship relies on trust. And that's no different when working with the media.
Journalists need to know their contacts are dependable, and the information they receive is reliable. They won’t thank you if it’s faulty.
But journalists are increasingly encountering fake ‘experts’ with quotes, advice and images generated by AI.
This creates huge challenges for PR professionals. In an already fast-paced and noisy media landscape, where we’re vying for space against other businesses, brands, comms teams, we’re now up against fake people too. Not to mention it could cause huge embarrassment in newsrooms when a seemingly reliable ‘source’ turns out to be fake.
While AI-generated ‘experts’ might offer headline-grabbing comment, it’s simply not true and unlikely to be original thought.
The scourge of fake expertise
Recent Press Gazette research showed how unscrupulous agencies are placing non-existent experts in the media. The research looked at a sample of 250 articles from five national news brands and found 24 fake experts featured in these pieces.
That’s almost 10% of experts featured in The Sun, Daily Express, Mirror, Daily Mail and Daily Star last year. And this is just five national news titles. It’s not unreasonable to believe this could be happening in other media titles.
This is not a harmless issue and points to a darker trend around whether we can truly trust what we see and read online. If organisations purporting to represent the PR industry share fake expertise, and journalists publish it, this harms both disciplines. Trust erodes with every fake piece. Client reputations also take a hit, and newsrooms extend their PR blacklists.
An opportunity for genuine voices
Last month, the PRCA (Public Relations and Communications Association) released a new definition of PR, calling it:
“The strategic management discipline that builds trust, enhances reputation and helps leaders interpret complexity and manage volatility – delivering measurable outcomes including stakeholder confidence, long-term value creation and commercial growth.”
We stand behind this. The principles point to measures of success that go beyond vanity metrics like the number of press releases or followers. Although they can be good markers of progress, relationships, credibility and connection with business goals matter more.
It calls on PRs to offer ethical advice and credible challenge at the highest-level. A seat at the table and the ear of senior stakeholders is vital, especially when navigating complex challenges and mitigating risks.
Our value comes from identifying opportunities and building relationships, all of which help clients get to where they need to be. And that’s what we do better than AI.
For us, this is about outcomes. Helping clients deliver brilliant developments that unlock investment. Supporting their growth ambitions. Enabling them to bounce back from crisis. As a team, we’re proud to be judged on these results.
How we do it matters too.
AI can assist, but can't replace
Few sectors are immune to the impacts of AI. But if we use it to cut corners, we’re in a race to the bottom.
We’ve used it for years and published our AI policy in January to show how it helps us work smarter and better. It doesn’t replace creative thought, nuanced understanding, or accountability for anything we create.
It’s no different in journalism. The Guardian recently appointed its first Chief AI Officer, with responsibility for agreements, deployment and functionality of AI across the business. It’s a role Caspar Llewellyn Smith says is “a pretty all-encompassing topic.”
Technology can help, but it requires careful handling and cannot replace judgement, integrity and wider contextual understanding.
Putting professionalism first
From this, the takeaway for us is simple. Professionalism and authenticity matter. Doing the hard yards matters. Taking pride in what we deliver for our clients matters.
Our role is to reflect diverse perspectives, create commentary for our clients rooted in expertise and experience, and offer journalists authentic voices on poignant topics.
We remain committed to doing that, in our own content, in what we produce and advise our clients on.
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