Challenging post-communication: Beyond focus on a ‘few bad apples’ to multi-level public communication reform

ABSTRACT

Since declaration of post-truth as Oxford Dictionaries’ word of the year in 2016, studies show that ‘fake news’, ‘alternative facts’, and disinformation have continued unabated – and even increased. Fingers have pointed at individuals such as Donald Trump and the activities of Russian ‘troll farms’. Also, global outrage has risen in relation to the deceptive and manipulative practices of organisations such as Cambridge Analytica and social media oligopolies, notably Facebook. However, transdisciplinary research challenges the ‘few bad apples’ argument and proposes that a wide range of culprits are responsible for what this study calls post-communication. Based on a review of reports related to public communication practices, and key informant interviews, this discussion proposes that reforms are required at three levels: top-down, such as updated regulation and legislation; bottom-up, including new approaches to media literacy; and increased attention to ethics and standards by professionals in advertising, marketing, public relations, government and political communication, and journalism.

KEYWORDS:

• Fake news
• disinformation
• post-truth
• post-communication
• ethics

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1 All interviewees were offered de-identification. Only those who gave written approval in consent forms are named. Interviews received ethics approval by the University of Technology Sydney’s Human Ethics process (UTS HREC REF NO. ETH18-2924).

1. Epstein was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City on 10 August 2019.

Additional information

Funding

This research received no external funding and the author has no conflict of interest.

Notes on contributors

Jim Macnamara

Jim Macnamara, PhD is a Distinguished Professor in the School of Communication at the University of Technology Sydney.