About Us NSPRA Press Room From Distortion to Clarity

Press Release
Contact:
Sarah Loughlin, Communications Manager
National School Public Relations Association
301-519-1221 I sloughlin@nspra.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW REPORT FROM THE NATIONAL SCHOOL PUBLIC RELATIONS ASSOCIATION EXPLORES THE IMPACT FALSE INFORMATION, MISINFORMATION AND RUMORS HAVE ON SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS

Report finds that 96% of school communication professionals consider the spread of false information a critical issue for school districts, up from 81% in 2020.

ROCKVILLE, MD. (June 14, 2024) – A new report issued today by the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA), From Distortion to Clarity: Empowering School Districts to Overcome False Information, finds that in today’s unprecedented landscape, false information is impacting school districts to an alarming degree.

Based on a national survey of NSPRA members in January 2024, concerns about false information have grown among school communication professionals, who primarily serve as a school district’s communication director or public information officer. Over the last four years, NSPRA has seen a 15-percentage-point growth in those who see it as a critical issue for school districts (from 81% in 2020 up to 96% in 2024) and a 16-percentage-point growth in those who report facing direct challenges with it (from 62% in 2020 up to 78% in 2024).

“Given their deep engagement with constituents, public school systems play a vital role in building trust in their communities,” said Barbara M. Hunter, APR, executive director of NSPRA. “The growing problem of false information directly affects the relationship a school district has with parents/caregivers, school employees and the broader community. When false information breaks down that trust, it doesn’t just harm schools: It hurts students, too.” 

The survey also found that information related to safety and policy are the most frequent subjects of false information, with 69% of respondents having experienced the spread of false information around policy-related issues such as school regulations in their district, and 66% of respondents having experienced it related to school safety such as security threats.

Sources of false information, which encompasses both misinformation (spread unintentionally) and disinformation (deliberately disseminated to deceive), can originate from many sources the report notes, including outdated information, misinterpreted data, rumors and unverified claims, deliberate deceptive information, manipulated media and echo chambers. Its rapid spread through multiple channels complicates the efforts of school districts to maintain accurate and reliable communication.

“The spread of false information is not a recent phenomenon,” said Hunter. “What is new is the speed at which false information can spread and wreak havoc on an organization’s reputation, potentially derailing its mission.”

Other notable findings of the From Distortion to Clarity: Empowering School Districts to Overcome False Information report include:

• False information will continue to impact schools. Among respondents, 77% are very concerned, somewhat concerned or concerned that their school system may face challenges related to false information in the future.
• False information spreads in a variety of ways. By far, however, respondents identified Facebook (91%) and word of mouth (79%) as the two channels most often used to spread false information.
• False information is having a negative impact on school districts in multiple ways. For 89% of respondents, it has affected the district’s reputation in the community, and for 76% of respondents, it has affected confidence in district leaders. Respondents also report that false information has an impact on student enrollment and teacher/staff recruitment and retention.

The report offers the following key strategies to school leaders in preventing the spread of false information in their community: 

• Establish a trusted source of information and keep your community informed with regular updates.
• Monitor and respond quickly to false information.
• Engage in clear and effective communication.
• Collaborate with credible partners.
• Use social media wisely. 
• Empower and mobilize your community.
• Develop a crisis communication plan. 
• Be transparent and admit mistakes.

The From Distortion to Clarity: Empowering School Districts to Overcome False Information report for media can be downloaded at www.nspra.org/false-information.

About NSPRA

As the leader in school communication, NSPRA serves more than 2,900 members who work primarily as communication directors in public school districts and education organizations throughout the United States and Canada. NSPRA provides high quality professional development programming through on-demand learning, an annual National Seminar, webinars, online forums and resources. For more information, visit NSPRA’s website at www.nspra.org. 

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