By DAVID CHAUVIN //
Like millions of Americans, I paused my normal routine Jan. 20 to watch the swearing-in of President Joe Biden. And like so many Americans, I was struck by the unusual circumstances surrounding the event.
The absence of crowds. The preponderance of facemasks. The manual disinfecting of the lectern between speakers. And of course, the throngs of National Guard soldiers – a stark reminder that only two weeks prior, those same U.S. Capitol steps were the site of a domestic terrorist attack, sure to live on as one of the saddest days in our nation’s history.
The inaugurations of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were rooted in over two centuries of tradition – but completely unique to this moment in history.
One part of the event seemed at least comfortably familiar (and no, I’m not talking about the Bernie memes). Joe Biden’s inaugural speech was befitting a politician that built his successful presidential campaign on a promise to return to “normalcy.”
President Biden’s speech struck a familiar balance of optimism and pragmatism, celebration and portents to the challenges ahead. A few lines, however, stood out – and I’ve been thinking a lot about what they mean for our industry and our responsibility as communication professionals.
David Chauvin: Fake punt.
The president said:
There is truth and there are lies … Lies told for power and for profit. And each of us has a duty and responsibility, as citizens, as Americans, and especially as leaders – leaders who have pledged to honor our Constitution and protect our nation – to defend the truth and to defeat the lies.
And then later:
We face an attack on democracy and on truth.
The assault on truth – the pandemic of so-called “fake news” – is a dire and deadly crisis facing our country. It was directly responsible for the aforementioned terrorist attack on the Capitol that left five people dead. And just as scientists, medical professionals, doctors and first responders are responsible to fight against COVID-19, we in the communications field are obligated to fight fake news and stand for truth.
All of us in this industry – journalists, public relations professionals, writers, designers – have an ability to influence conversation. We must put truth above all other concerns, and we must directly combat fake news whenever we see it.
President Biden: Truth, or consequences.
The dire consequences of not doing this are clear, everywhere we look. Our country is embarking on a great effort to vaccinate hundreds of millions of people in the coming months and finally end this deadly, miserable chapter of American history. The greatest obstacle to this critical pursuit? The millions of Americans – fueled by conspiracy theories and fake news – who will refuse to take the vaccine, usually due to some unfounded or debunked fear.
This problem, which will put countless lives at risk, was specifically created by The Media. And The Media has a duty to end it.
If you are a PR professional, do not work with publications that propagate such dangerous lies. Call out media or businesses that are deliberately misleading. Be discerning and careful with all materials you distribute.
The President of the United States has called on us all to defend the truth. It’s up to each of us, as communications professionals, to rise to this occasion. Fake news is a major concern of our time, but we have the power to fight back. Don’t hide from this responsibility.
David Chauvin is executive vice president of ZE Creative Communications.
Excellent piece, David. I agree that the media has a duty to end ‘fake news.’ But they work hand-in-glove with a small but loud subset of our industry — ‘mis’communication professionals who peddle those conspiracy theories, fake news, and outright lies. I see it like this: if you have rodents in your house, you can try to reason with the rodents and hope that they leave. Or you can cut off the rodents’ food supply and they will slowly die.