Disaster Disinformation

Social media is ripe with allegations the government is keeping recovery supplies away from recent catastrophe victims. Complaints are common after catastrophes. Survivors want help faster, and responders want to provide it faster. Every natural disaster recovery is wrought with logistical difficulty. Frustrations are expected. What’s different now is the growth of social media-driven disinformation.  I have been working and studying catastrophe communication for 25 years. The cloud of disinformation seen recently in Maui is an example of why disaster communicators are now being forced to pay more and more attention to the negative aspects of social media – a…