Palabra Clave – Watch the talk on the Special Issue: Public Relations in the World of Disinformation

2025-05-05

Talk on the special issue “Public Relations in the World of Disinformation” at FILBo 2025

DOI: http://doi.org/10.5294/pacla.2025.reporte.1

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Dear readers, committee members, authors, researchers, reviewers, and anyone interested in Palabra Clave:


We would like to share with you the report on the event about the special issue held during FILBo 2025, including its context, participants, and conclusions.


The articles published in the special issue “Public Relations in the World of Disinformation” were derived from the 18th Congress of the Association of Public Relations Researchers (AIRP), held from June 12 to 14, 2024, in Ourense Campus, University of Vigo (UVigo), Spain. It was co-organized by the Department of Audiovisual Communication and Advertising, the research project FAKELOCAL: Disinformation Map in Spain’s Autonomous Communities and Local Entities and Their Digital Ecosystem (Ref. PID2021-124293OB-I00), and the Faculty of Education and Social Work of the same university.


Palabra Clave’s editorial team accepted the responsibility of publishing and reviewing these contributions, with guest editors Marc Compte-Pujol (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya) and Ileana Zeler (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona).

Following the publication, UniSabana Editorial (the publishing division of the Department of Publications and Scientific Dissemination at Universidad de La Sabana, Colombia) requested a presentation space during FILBo 2025.

The event had several objectives. The main one was to present the special issue and include the participation of the authors during FILBo 2025. Additionally, it aligned with Universidad de La Sabana’s goal to showcase the tangible impact of research—this time published in Palabra Clave—at one of the largest academic book fairs in Ibero-America.

Participants:

  • Moderator: Julián Penagos Carreño, Editor-in-Chief, Palabra Clave, Universidad de La Sabana.
  • Panelists:
    • Marc Compte-Pujol, guest editor and professor at Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (Spain), co-author of the article “Communicating Corporate Social Responsibility in the Age of Disinformation: An Approach to PR Agencies in Spain” (Estanyol, Lalueza & Compte-Pujol, 2025).
    • Ileana Zeler, guest editor and professor at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain).
    • Rosa María Torres Valdés, professor at Universidad de Alicante (Spain), co-author of the article “Print Press, Publicity, and Disinformation: ‘Miracle Cures,’ a Health Communication and Media Social Responsibility Issue” (Ibáñez-Hernández, Torres-Valdés, Arribas-Mato & Quiles-Soler, 2025).
    • Jesús Martínez Sánchez, professor at Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia (Spain), co-author of the article “Organizing Inclusive Events as a Public Relations Technique: Considerations for Attendees with Autism Spectrum Disorder” (Sánchez-Hervás, Hernández-Martínez & Martínez-Sánchez, 2025).

Each panelist presented their article, and the moderator asked questions related to the role of public relations in disinformation contexts, the erosion of public trust, corporate communication and responsibility, and the adaptation of PR practices to the immediacy of social media and digital journalism.

Main ideas

  • Ethical and responsible public relations, when exercised with leadership, are a powerful antidote to disinformation.
  • This requires active promotion of transparency, honesty, and two-way communication.
  • PR professionals must monitor, manage, and verify information while promoting education and critical thinking in the public.
  • The existence of unethical practices or “Dark PR” was also acknowledged, which contribute to disinformation and the erosion of trust.
  • Agencies and professionals must act as ethical guides, ensuring that reputation is built on facts and transparency—not just image.
  • Academia must incorporate a critical perspective in education, empowering future communicators to face digital immediacy and polarization.

Special thanks to all attendees, panelists, FILBo organizers, Corferias, Universidad de La Sabana, UniSabana360, and the Communications Office for their support with logistics, promotion, and planning.

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References

Estanyol, E., Lalueza, F. y Compte-Pujol, M. (2025). Comunicar la responsabilidad social corporativa en la era de la desinformación: Una aproximación a las agencias de relaciones públicas en España. Palabra Clave, 28(Suplemento 1), e28s114. https://doi.org/10.5294/pacla.2025.28.s1.14

Ibáñez-Hernández, A. I., Torres-Valdés, R. M.ª, Arribas-Mato, C. y Quiles-Soler, C. (2025). Prensa escrita, publicity y desinformación: “Curas milagro”, un problema de comunica-ción en salud y responsabilidad social de los medios. Palabra Clave, 28(Suplemento 1), e28s111. https://doi.org/10.5294/pacla.2025.28.s1.11

Sánchez-Hervás, D., Hernández-Martínez, S., & Martínez-Sánchez, J. (2025). La organización de eventos inclusivos como técnica de relaciones públicas: aspectos a considerar en la asistencia a eventos de públicos con trastornos del espectro autista. Palabra Clave, 28(s1), e28s17. https://doi.org/10.5294/pacla.2025.28.s1.7