External monitoring
External monitoring is an important part of the work to detect and manage false and misleading information that can affect your organisation or your area of responsibility. By following trends in society, the media and digital platforms, organisations can see early on where risks are present, and take measures to protect themselves from disinformation. When external monitoring has been planned well, it enables acting quickly and preventing crises rather than merely reacting when an incident has already transpired.
How can organisations work with external monitoring?
External monitoring can be designed in different ways depending on the purpose. If the aim is to quickly identify incidents that affect the organisation, a different method will be needed than for if focus is on analysing long-term trends. For monitoring to be effective, it is important that it is clear what it is to achieve, and to adapt procedures accordingly.
In order to deal effectively with false and misleading information, external monitoring should be part of the organisation’s daily work. Disinformation can damage an organisation’s credibility, and impact its decision-making and how people act in relation to the organisation. Responsibility for detecting and dealing with false and misleading information must therefore be clear in the organisation.
Regular evaluation of monitoring
For external monitoring to be effective, it also needs to be evaluated and developed regularly. By improving analytical methods, collaborating with other actors and learning from past incidents, organisations can better manage disinformation and ensure that the right actions are taken in time.
Collaboration and support
Managing information influence often requires collaboration between multiple actors. By working together with authorities, municipalities and other organisations, a better overall picture can be obtained of the information flow and strategies can be developed to counteract disinformation. Sharing experiences and methods enables swiftly identifying and managing threats.
The next step
During the crisis – communicate swiftly