Ethical Corporate Communication in the Age of Digital Misinformation: Examining KPLC’s Responses to Fake News on Facebook and Twitter

Abstract

One of the greatest post-COVID-19 outcomes is the rapid adoption of digital communication by institutions and organizations, both within institutions and with consumers and other stakeholders. Despite this positive trend, communication in the digital space also brought forth prevalent sharing of fake news and misinformation, as well as new ethical dilemmas regarding digital communication. In order to determine if corporate communication ethics are upheld, this study examined the prevalent types of fake news that target KPLC and the different reactions by KPLC. The study's objectives were to: identify the kinds of misinformation and fake news that target KPLC on Facebook and Twitter; analyze KPLC's communication response tactics to false information and fake news on Facebook and Twitter; and determine whether KPLC's responses to false information and fake news on Facebook adhere to ethical corporate communication principles. The research was grounded in gatekeeping theory and social media responsibility theory. A thematic content analysis that employed stratified purposive sampling to identify content made up of posts on KPLC’s Facebook and Twitter official pages as well as online reports from fact checking agencies on data that related to fake news targeting KPLC were analyzed. The study determined that popular fake news and misinformation targeting KPLC include fake recruitment posts, false notices on power outage, and fake digital accounts. Further, the study established that dominant KPLC communication responses entail warnings, creating awareness, and clarifications. The study also concluded that KPLC upheld ethical principles like timeliness, reducing harm, and transparency. The findings confirm that, indeed, social media is full of fake news and misinformation, and corporations have a duty to ensure they tackle the fake news ethically to maintain brand reputation.