Protecting your reputation in an age of misinformation, disinformation and ‘slopaganda’
Disinformation campaigns aimed at tarnishing the reputation of prominent public figures, companies, products, causes, campaigns and brands are an age-old tactic.
However, mis and disinformation is being given a new and more dangerous edge. AI-enhanced tactics and so-called ‘slopaganda’ is making it easier for bad actors to create and spread misleading content at scale.
In some instances, AI content is now almost indistinguishable from verifiable sources. Sadly, some of those in the most powerful offices in the world are leading this new age of disinformation.
Before we get to how to effectively respond to mis and disinformation, it’s important to define what we are tackling. For our purposes, we are mostly aligned with the UK Government’s definitions:
Misinformation = False or inaccurate information
Disinformation = False information that is deliberately created and shared to mislead, manipulate or cause harm.
Allowed to fester in a vacuum, both disinformation campaigns and misinformation can become turbocharged in today’s social media-led, hyper-partisan and AI-enhanced digital age.
In Australia, debate around climate change, energy policy and the rollout of renewable energy in particular is a fertile ground for misinformation being shared, often ‘drowning out’ reasonable debate or legitimate concerns.
For the fossil fuel industry, and some ideologically opposed to renewable energy projects, the facts are unimportant and can get in the way of influencing community perceptions. At Kaizen, we’ve seen false claims about impacts on the environment and native species, intentionally misleading visuals, and even publicly elected officials sharing misleading information in an attempt to boost their own agenda, win votes or further personal, political or business interests.
So how can you tackle disinformation and misinformation when it appears? How can you protect your reputation when false information is becoming a perceived truth?
1. Be prepared
The sad reality is that in 2026, your organisation or brand is likely to face some sort of mis or disinformation. So are you prepared?
Do you have media and social media monitoring tools in place?
Do you have the right processes in place? Do you have an issues management protocol? Are your people empowered to inform the executive team if they see/hear/witness mis or disinformation?
Does the media know who to contact in the event they have questions?
2. Get all the facts, quickly
When it’s clear your organisation is facing mis or disinformation, it’s critical to move with speed:
What has been said, published, posted?
When was the mis/disinformation shared? How often?
Who has shared the content? Can you determine the intent?
What is the truth – and can you prove it?
Who in your team is responsible for real-time tracking of the mis or disinformation?
3. Analyse the risk
Now you have the facts and you are monitoring the issue in real time, you need to analyse the potential reputational, safety, legal and commercial risks:
Activate your team in line with your issues management protocol (i.e. who needs to be in the room to respond quickly and authoritatively)
What are the risks to your organisation?
Who are the audiences that need to know the truth? What happens if they believe the mis/disinformation is the truth?
How can you turn this ‘mis/disinformation’ into a positive? What do you want your audience to think, feel or do?
4. Respond
Speed and the facts are critical in shutting down mis and disinformation. You can’t wait days to act, and when you do, there are some high level principles that are critical to an effective response:
Understand what happens if you don’t respond – will the issue snowball? Will some equate silence with guilt/truth? Does responding legitimise the mis or disinformation?
Is the claim public or has it come via the media? If via the media can you shut down the story by explaining why it is inaccurate or misleading.
Who needs to know first – are there audiences you need to prioritise? Consistent, multi-channel responses are key. For example:
Internal channels – including employees
Social media channels
Direct to customer/stakeholder channels (i.e. email/newsletters)
Media and other influencers
Act with honesty and humility. You are on the record – always.
Tone and content is critical.
Respond with definitive, calm and consistent language – no waffle
Get to the point – call out the mis/disinformation and the actors, if appropriate
Correct the record – focus on the facts, provide the evidence but don’t legitimise false claims by giving them more oxygen than they deserve
Outline consequences if the bad actors continue – what happens unless there is a backdown/apology from the other party (if they are identifiable)?
Where there are genuine concerns to be addressed – acknowledge and act. Speak to the concern with facts, humility and clarity.
Show up – be willing to quote a senior spokesperson. When required, show up in person – via video or via the media when needed.
5. Continue to monitor and communicate
After responding it’s critical to continue monitoring the issue, and determine whether you need to escalate your response:
Ensure you are informed if circumstances change
Get on the front foot – don’t allow a vacuum to be created. Continue to communicate proactively if required.
If the mis/disinformation continues, plan for escalating your response
Debrief and learn – what worked well, what didn’t, how can we improve?
At Kaizen, we support organisations to effectively manage issues and crisis communications, including responding to misinformation and disinformation in high-risk, high-profile environments.
We are a Sydney-based PR and communications agency, operating across Australia. We have deep experience across energy and renewables, major infrastructure, politics and complex corporate matters, including situations involving legal and regulatory risk. Our senior consultants work closely with our clients to assess threats, protect reputation, and deliver calm, evidence-based communication strategies that cut through noise and build trust.
For further reading on our approach to crisis and issues management, click here.
We’re here to help. Get in touch for a discreet brief with our Founder and Director Chris Williams – chris@kaizenco.au
Image credit - @Whitehouse