Misinformation and disinformation are rapidly becoming core governance issues, reshaping how boards think about risk, reputation, and crisis response. Recently, at the NACD PSW Corporate Directors Symposium, Financial Profile's founder and CEO, Moira Conlon, joined Colleen Brown and Lex Suvanto to discuss how these challenges are evolving and how directors can be prepared.
Key Takeaways:
- The media landscape has fundamentally changed. Traditional gatekeepers are gone, and individuals now "program their own news," that can be rapidly amplified through social media.
- Trust has eroded. According to Edelman, 63% of people struggle to determine credible information and 74% trust "someone like me" as much as a scientist — fertile ground for misinformation.
- Disinformation is now a board-level risk. AI-driven deepfakes, bot networks, coordinated attacks, and manipulated content can move markets, damage reputations, and escalate crises within minutes.
- Companies need to use modern tools for reputation monitoring and rapid response, craft crisis plans that incorporate new protocols and conduct preparedness training for the new frontier.
Thank you to Colleen B. and Lex (Aleksi) Suvanto for your insight into such an important topic, and NACD Pacific Southwest Chapter for hosting an incredible event.