News Corp’s PR Blunder – Rupert and Wendy Tweeting on a Tree…

Public relations folks who follow Twitter knew it was only a matter of time before a public figure had their identity stolen.

Such was the case when Rupert Murdoch supposedly entered the Twitterverse on New Year’s Day.   His wife, Wendy Deng, quickly followed with her own account and a communications sitcom was born.  After all, it wasn’t really Wendy, but an impersonator! Best yet, it probably wasn’t Rupert either.

Rupert Murdoch and Wife Wendy Deng

For two days, News Corp. not only allowed the falseTwitter account from someone claiming to be Wendi Deng, the wife of its chairman and chief executive, to go unchallenged, Rupert and Wendy actually tweeted to one another.  Clearly, if Murdoch were at the Tweet helm, he may have suspected his wife wasn’t on the other end of the coffee can, but how would the person tweeting on his behalf know that?

Although the account was acknowledged by its author as a fake this week, it already had operated for days with Twitter’s signature blue check of authenticity – raising serious questions about the social media platform’s usually bulletproof verification process.

While the entire episode is somewhat comical, it does open the door for serious analysis in regard to the implications for companies like News Corp. when an employee or another third party impersonates company spokespeople, executives or family members.

The spoof maintained credibility because a News Corp. spokesperson told journalists that the Wendi Deng Twitter account was authentic. Those confirmations were subsequently withdrawn and a hapless PR grunt told reports that the confirmation was “unintentional and mistaken.” How embarrassing.

What this spoof teaches us is that when someone masquerades as someone else connected to, or from, a major corporation, it could get serious.

As we begin a new year, ask yourself “do I have my social media operations in order?” For corporate communicators, this means having clearly defined and written policies concerning the rules by which employees or third parties representing you participate in social media. It also means developing an “early warning system” for suspicious online behavior by someone else that might impact your business.

Different social media channels have proper and improper uses. So pay attention. Ensure your business integrity by stopping impostors from successfully impersonating you, your CEO or anyone associated with your company.  You can’t completely prevent stuff like this, but you can be faster than News Corp. in being aware of spotting bogus postings.

Misrepresentations can hurt a reputation as well as cost a business money.  Even worse, they can make your CEO look foolish.  Right, Rupert?