Reputation in the age of the public court

Reputation in the era of the Public Court

Every day, organizations of any kind face what experts have called the “Public Court”; that voracious audience that consumes information by different means, the same that emits value judgments, -many times more emotional than rational-, and that manages, in a matter of seconds, to turn on the red alert of the communication offices of the companies. A great mass of information that comes to life in the blink of an eye thanks to the democratization of information … a conversation that many get on, many times without looking back or to the sides.

And last week we witnessed – and perhaps some – part of it. This time it was on an issue that has us all on the radar: the negotiations with Pfizer Pharmaceutical for the vaccine. In a matter of seconds, social networks, WhatsApp groups and the media reported that the negotiation of a number of vaccines had fallen due to not reaching an agreement “because those in charge of carrying out the process by Colombia did not know how to speak English ”. That January 28, many recognized information portals immediately headed in that direction, while each one in their conversation circles gave their opinions with it as input and, on occasions, joined the conversation using #MetidadePata or #FakeNews.

At what point does the desire to publish a news exceed one of the basic rules of the journalistic exercise of contrasting sources? But, in addition, at what moment, as an audience with criteria in the consumption of information, do we get carried away by a #? And, a key question is, at what point do we think that making a rectification note on a false news that we spread compensates for the damage or affectation caused by said headline?

In a matter of seconds, we become accomplices that a fake news is powerful with all that it implies: impact on a brand, an individual or an entity. We put in check the reputation, trust and trajectory of natural or legal persons where the only way out is to go out and tell their truth, before a predisposed court and with their version defined as truth. Hence, those of us who work from organizational communication have the great challenge of strengthening our reputational shield, of monitoring, of being prepared so that when that moment comes, we have the same strength. We must be aware that communication is a permanent, proactive planting process that builds relationships and allows us to tell stories to generate value.

We are at a juncture where national and global issues of the utmost importance are being defined. Planning the milestones that we want to detonate in relation to it, looking for allies and amplifiers and making our organizational purpose our most powerful message is fundamental. The “Public Court” is relentless, that is why our strategies must be forceful and that includes not only seeking the media to achieve a publication but also building relationships of trust with the story-makers so that when something similar happens again, we write a message or call us immediately before posting.

Corporate Communication Team

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