Why there’s never been a more important time to channel your own truth

Maybe it’s because I qualified as a journalist towards the end of the halcyon days of print media that I still harbour a romantic notion of truth – facts presented without a hidden agenda by professionals who are well informed, and hell-bent on objectivity.

There were many notable exceptions of course, but I’d wager that most of my peers became journalists because they wanted to tell the truth. Perhaps naively, I’d say that most of the legacy mainstream media still seeks to do that, albeit with dwindling reach and influence.

The internet ended the commercial dominance of the mainstream media and to a certain extent, social media took its place.

There were short lived celebrations of the democratisation of the means of mass communication – anyone could reach anyone in ways that had previously only been open to the operators of the mainstream media.

Indeed, there was a time when the mainstream media flirted with the social media platforms as their most immediate route of access to a digital audience, putting Facebook and Twitter, now X, in a position of both power and responsibility.

For a while, the social media platforms took that responsibility seriously, building armies of moderators and fact-checkers as they sought to counter the risk of stifling regulation.

This was the week that the tide took another turn, with Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook and CEO of its parent company, Meta Platforms, announcing that fact-checking will be scrapped in the interests of free speech.

It’s entirely possible that former Liberal Democrat leader and deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, saw the writing on the virtual wall, announcing last week that now would be the right time for him to leave his role as President, Global Affairs, at Meta.  

Anyone still signed up to X, which already uses the system of ‘Community Notes’ now being adopted by Meta, will be familiar with the way that the platform has descended into something very different to the inclusive, caring and sharing community where it all began.

This leaves something of a conundrum for brand and communicators but, thankfully, not one without opportunities.

Media relations remains massively important in terms of managing the reputation of any organisation and that isn’t going to change. Mainstream media isn’t quite what it was, but it can still make and break.

Social media now presents so many more ways for organisations to share their content, with an estimated 5.22 billion users in 2024. However, I’m really not sure what the professional social media platform for responsible brands is right now.

All of this means it’s more important than ever for organisations to channel their own truths, building and protecting their reputation, to ensure that people believe what they have to say when they say it. That’s true whether it’s via mainstream media, social media, or your own channels, which are now becoming increasingly important part of the mix.

Building a reputation as an organisation which still thinks truth – and trust - matters can bring huge benefits in a world where fewer people than ever appear to care.