The PR profession is often maligned for generating “spin,” but in fact our professional standards require honesty and accuracy. Yet both corporations and public figures hide uncomfortable truths, misrepresent data, or slant stories in deceptive ways. AI tools only make this easier. As professional communicators, we need to be able to identify disinformation and counsel our clients on how to avoid it and how to fight it. Using both corporate and public forum examples, Alice Brink will involve participants in spotting disinformation clues and making distinctions between disinformation, misinformation and opinion. You’ll learn new tools for unmasking and fact-checking dubious content, and you’ll leave armed with knowledge that will help you advise your clients in a “pants on fire” world. 

Alice Brink, ABC, IABC Fellow, is a terrible liar but a fairly creative truth-teller. A senior-level communications counselor, she is known for her ability to turn business strategies into clear, compelling stories that motivate audiences to greater understanding, engagement and support. Since 2004, her firm, A Brink & Co., has specialized in leadership communications at the intersection of energy and the environment. Working one-on-one with leaders or as counsel to an in-place communications team, she quickly gets to the heart of the issue and brings creativity and clarity to identifying a solution. At the heart of Alice’s work and career path is a commitment to use communications to make the world better. Named a Fellow of IABC in 2016, she remains active as a mentor and volunteer in the organization and has served on the boards of several non-profits focused on health and human services.