In the summer of 2016, we noted an uptick in a particular type of query from law firm clients. The fact patterns were eerily similar: A news story had appeared online, quoting an actual lawyer from a real firm, but the lawyer had never given an interview to the so-called publication. Moreover, the article was riddled with errors, out of context or otherwise sketchy. The questions from internal communications directors were clear and urgent: What is this publication? Have you ever heard of them? How did this happen?
This began a new focus on—months before it became a post-election buzzword—the growing and varied world of fake news.
