INSPIRE: Readiness - Tackling Public Health Communication Conundrums: Rumors and Public Trust

Join ASTHO for timely conversation as we explore strategies to safeguard public health and build public trust. In today's fast-paced information landscape, misleading rumors pose a serious threat to public health efforts, weakening trust and diminishing effective response. To address this complex issue, this webinar brings together experienced public health champions to share real-world strategies and lessons learned in their communities.

This session will highlight communication tactics, cross-agency collaborations, and community engagement tools that may be used to help dispel harmful public health rumors. Inaccurate information, whether about vaccines, disease outbreaks, or public health mandates, can spread quickly through social media, word of mouth, or online forums – often overshadowing accurate messages from trusted sources. During this webinar, attendees will gain a deeper understanding of what it takes to manage public perception during health crises and how to build more resilient systems in the future.

At the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Identify common sources and themes of misleading rumors in public health and their impacts on diverse communities.
• Enhance public health readiness by preparing for future health-related rumors with proactive strategies.
• Explore real-life examples from states on managing misleading health information.
• Engage strategies to quickly detect rumors, deliver clear messages, and engage communities in a way that resonates with them, supporting accurate public health communication.