In a political and social media climate riddled with misinformation and disinformation, it’s sometimes difficult to know who to believe, even in the midst of an emergency.
Mark Brady, who spent 27 years as public information officer for Prince George’s County Fire and Emergency Medical Services in Maryland, now provides public information officer training for agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
With photos and video being shared on social media, Brady said it’s more important than ever for police, fire and emergency agencies to promptly release preliminary details to the public.
“If I don’t tell them the right information at the right time, someone else is going to do it, and they probably will not have the correct information,” Brady said.
During natural and human-made disasters, incorrect information can spread quickly.
“Misinformation is something that someone mistakenly heard, or reposts, from a site they don’t know or trust,” Brady said. “Disinformation is someone who has purposely injected information out there that is not credible, just to skew the public’s opinion on what’s going on.”
While elected officials often appear at the microphone during an emergency, “If something has happened in their jurisdiction, they’re going to speak up about it,” Brady said. “Sometimes they don’t have the correct factual information, and yes, it’s their viewpoint, and it may be a little bit skewed.”
Brady said at times, elected officials hope to spin an emergency situation or ongoing incident for political reasons.
“If I were to receive pressure from someone above, I’m not going to endanger my trust and credibility with the community,” Brady said. “As somebody that has the public trust, once you lose that, you cannot get it back.”
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