Crisis Misinformation and Corrective Strategies in Social-Mediated Crisis Communication

Abstract: The social-mediated crisis communication domain is flooded with misinformation in various forms, causing misperception about a crisis and trigger negative crisis outcomes that harm organizational reputation and publics’ wellbeing. Organizations and crisis practitioners must understand the characteristics of crisis misinformation and key actors in misinformation spread on social media in order to fight misinformation via effective corrective communication. By reviewing and synthesizing misinformation and corrective communication theories and published empirical evidence that are directly relevant to social media and crisis communication, this chapter defines crisis misinformation, illustrates a typology of misinformation characteristics, identifies key actors in crisis misinformation spread, and recommends corrective communication strategies for organizations to consider in fighting misinformation in social-mediated crisis communication. Future research directions and key recommendations are made for both scholars and crisis managers in order to advance our knowledge and practice in combating crisis misinformation with enhanced effectiveness.