The last (but certainly not least) of the during-the-conversation principles discussed in the UMSL Department of Communication’s course on the use of social media in public relations is honesty.
Three cases — two from late 2006 and one from late 2012 — illustrate the consequences of violating this principle:
- Walmart, which failed to fully disclose its support for an enthusiastically pro-Walmart blogger
- Sony, which created a fictional persona and tried to pass off the character as real; another writer offers supplemental information on the Sony case, but readers sensitive to foul language may not want to review this source
- The owner of an anonymous Twitter account, who tweeted false information as Superstorm Sandy hit New York; see point 4 from this source.
The dishonesty in all three of these cases was eventually exposed, as were the lies described in this report by David Carr of the NYT. In the latter case, the victim of the lies sued and won at least a symbolic victory in court. However, he might have tried a different approach. Any guesses as to what that alternative approach might have been? (Hint: The answer is suggested toward the end of another report on Superstorm Sandy.)
Finally, this particular case of dishonesty raises the question: Are little white lies — told in good fun and eventually acknowledged — acceptable in certain situations?
