New Global Digital Handbook Equips Communicators to Tackle Mis/Disinformation

London / Strasbourg / Mumbai – 19 May 2025 - In a significant step toward combating the global rise of misinformation and disinformation, a coalition of leading international organisations launched today “Tackling Mis/Disinformation – A Global Digital Handbook for Communicators”. This landmark guide provides public relations and communications professionals with practical tools, insights and ethical frameworks to address one of the most pressing threats to democracy and public trust.

The Digital Handbook is one of the deliverables stemming from the Media Information and Education Pledge, a joint initiative by the International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) in partnership with the Council of Europe, The Trust Project, European Association of Communication Directors (EACD), Global Women in PR (GWPR), European Public Relations Education and Research Association (EUPRERA) and International Association for the Measurement and Evaluation of Communication (AMEC).

“At a time when mis/disinformation ranks as one of the greatest short-term global risks, this digital handbook is a call to action for communicators everywhere,” said Massimo Moriconi, Global Vice President at ICCO and Chair of the Mis/Disinformation Working Group.“It’s not just about identifying mis/disinformation - it’s about uniting various media stakeholders around information threats and share practical solutions, tools, and best cases. All sides have a collective responsibility to educate their own employees, in addition to the wider public.”

The Council of Europe, Europe’s leading human rights body, has underscored the importance of information integrity to democratic resilience. This Digital Handbook supports that vision by providing actionable guidance in areas such as: Understanding society to mitigate mis/disinformation; Relevance of Media Literacy and the Role of communication professionals; AI and mis/disinformation: Risks and Opportunities; Importance of Traditional and Generative Search in fact-checking; The international cooperation within the information society ecosystem.

“This digital handbook is a timely and topical tool to support PR and communication professionals in understanding and tackling misinformation and disinformation challenges in their daily work, with a strong focus on fact-checking, media and literacy and ethical use of AI tools,” said Irena Guidikova Head of Democratic Institutions and Freedoms Department Council of Europe. “These themes closely resonate and align with the Council of Europe recent and current work in the field of media and communication in the digital age. In doing so, this resource provides a considerable contribution to the common effort to build a communication environment that fosters human rights and democracy.”

Quotes from Partners:

Trust Project Founder and CEO Sally Lehrman:
“The ability to trust news and information is essential for a functioning society. It is increasingly difficult for all kinds of stakeholders to know how to identify and dispel falsehoods that undermine reliable information. It’s hugely positive to engage PR firms, journalists and policymakers alongside our news outlets to acknowledge the importance of media literacy and commit to long-term programmes that strengthen support for news with integrity”

Sue Hardwick, Co-Founder, Global Women in PR:
“The ever-growing challenge of misinformation is something that impacts all of our members. From distribution of unhelpful or misleading information to using falsehoods in stoking deliberately damaging narratives, this is a battle that women at all levels across the PR industry are fighting. I am pleased the pledge seeks to bring together a cross section of disciplines to tackle these issues and place education at the heart of the solution.”

Dennis Larsen, EACD Board Member:
“Disinformation is not just a threat to our profession-it undermines the very foundation of public trust and democracy. As communicators, we have a duty to lead the fight against falsehoods by championing transparency, fact-based communication, and ethical standards. The EACD is a proud partner of this important initiative and believes the handbook will act as an essential live guide for communicators.”

Jesper Falkheimer, President of EUPRERA:
“The Global Digital Handbook for Communicators is a practical step forward in addressing one of the biggest communication challenges of our time: tackling mis and disinformation. At EUPRERA, we believe that research, education, and professional responsibility must go hand in hand. This handbook reflects that belief and complements our ongoing efforts to support informed, ethical, and accountable communication across Europe.”

Johna Burke, CEO and Global Managing Director AMEC

“Truth is often shaped by perspective and context—under some circumstances it evolves. But trust is measurable, and building it requires a deliberate, ethical approach to how we use data and communicate. At AMEC, we champion best practices that help professionals avoid bias, ensure transparency, and deliver accountable, insight-driven communication. This Digital Handbook is an essential guide for those navigating the complexity of today’s information environment. By aligning our work with principles of ethical data use and evaluation, we not only mitigate mis- and disinformation - we reinforce the credibility of our profession and its role in protecting public trust”.

Next Steps
“Tackling Mis/Disinformation – A Global Digital Handbook for Communicators” serves as a preliminary framework and a living document. ICCO and its partners invite communicators, media organisations, civil society and policymakers to engage, contribute and co-create future editions. Feedback is welcome at:

• Joulyn Kenny – joulyn.kenny@iccopr.com
• Massimo Moriconi – massimo.moriconi@omnicomprgroup.com
  
  

About the Partners

The Council of Europe is the continent’s leading human rights organisation. It includes 46 member states, 27 of which are members of the European Union.

The International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) is the global voice of the public relations and communications industry. Through our network of 41 associations, representing PR and communications agencies in 80 countries, ICCO members strive to shape the future of communications by improving professional standards and tackling collective issues collaboratively.

The Trust Project is an international consortium of news organisations promoting standards of transparency and working with technology platforms to affirm and amplify journalism’s commitment to transparency, accuracy, inclusion, and fairness so that the public can make informed news choices. Their partners include The Economist, Il Sole 24 Ore, El Pais, El Mundo, the Washington Post and BBC, along with a broad range of other international and local news outlets.

The European Association of Communication Directors (EACD) represents the interests of top-tier communication directors and professionals across European industry, business, not-for-profit and political organisations and institutions. Sharing knowledge, expertise and best practice, the EACD espouses all that is best in transnational communications and engagement.

Global Women in PR exists to champion, connect and support women in senior PR and communications roles. We are a membership organisation of national networking groups whose members come from agencies, in-house and independents.

EUPRERA is an autonomous organisation with over 550 members from 50 countries interested in advancing academic research and knowledge in public relations and strategic communication. Several cross-national and comparative research and education projects are organised by affiliated universities.

AMEC is the International Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication. It is the world’s largest media intelligence and insights professional body, representing organisations and practitioners who provide media evaluation and communication research, analysis, evaluation and insights. AMEC thinks and operates internationally thanks to its vibrant Chapters in Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, Middle East and Africa and North America.