{"id":7223,"date":"2017-08-07T16:23:02","date_gmt":"2017-08-07T20:23:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/?p=7223"},"modified":"2017-08-07T16:23:02","modified_gmt":"2017-08-07T20:23:02","slug":"association-advocacy-thrives-fake-news-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/association-advocacy-thrives-fake-news-era\/","title":{"rendered":"Association Advocacy Thrives in ‘Fake News’ Era"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Jill
Jill Andreu, Naylor Association Solutions<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Like it or not, the term \u201cfake news\u201d has entered our country\u2019s modern-day vocabulary.<\/p>\n

If you believe \u201cfake news\u201d is nonsense, devote 20 minutes one evening to cable news networks. Watch CNN for 10 minutes, then flip to Fox News for 10 minutes. Both networks\u2014reputable in their own right with talented journalists at the helm\u2014report the same facts with a completely different angle, agenda and host of talking heads. It\u2019s quite interesting to watch.<\/p>\n

Reading \u201cfake news\u201d is even more interesting, particularly on social media where passionate individuals often hide behind a left- or right-wing moniker and feel emboldened enough to spat about a blog or not-so-reputable news site. I\u2019ve read one passionate individual\u2019s claim\u2014backed by statistics\u2014refuted by another, calling the claim \u201cfake news\u201d and linking to the Trump.news site. Both claims likely imparted some version of truth or interpretation thereof, but many readers do not have time to research the facts and likely believe the claim that leans more toward their political persuasion. An intense social media volley ensues until the real news is buried among insults and exaggerations.<\/p>\n

It is disturbing that, as a country, we just can\u2019t agree to disagree anymore.<\/p>\n

On the bright side, media distrust can have an incredibly positive impact on the tenor of association communications. Members should look first to their associations for information that enhances their careers and grows their businesses. There has never been a more critical time for associations to remind members that their association fights for them, and information disseminated to members is factual, reliable, relevant and necessary.<\/p>\n

Consider the many reasons professionals join associations. In addition to networking and education, legislative efforts are incredibly important. Association executives and industry representatives spend considerable time and effort speaking to lawmakers about the importance of funding, legislation and regulations that improve their industries.<\/p>\n

We reviewed just a sampling of the great work three Naylor association clients are doing on behalf of their industries. Each of these examples illustrates the power of an association\u2019s voice \u2013 a far cry from \u201cfake news.\u201d<\/p>\n

American Association of Port Authorities<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The American Association of Port Authorities began the \u201cAmerica: Keep it Moving\u201d campaign to help convince lawmakers that port infrastructure investments are not a want, but a desperate need. According to the AAPA website (aapa-ports.org), the \u201camount of freight in the U.S. is projected to grow 45 percent by 2045,\u201d a statistic that impacts ports and all segments of the logistics industry that deliver goods to ports. The site refers to research completed by the American Society of Civil Engineers, statistics outlining the impact on GDP and trade losses, and information about how \u201cemployers, manufacturers, workers and farmers\u201d will be adversely affected if infrastructure dollars are not allocated to this necessary cause.<\/p>\n

A campaign such as \u201cAmerica: Keep it Moving\u201d is anything but\u00a0\u201cfake news.\u201d AAPA leadership pushes every day, with every Congressional meeting opportunity, to make change for its port members. Policy position papers are easily accessible on the campaign website, giving members full understanding of the issue.<\/p>\n

Material Handling and Equipment Dealers Association (MHEDA)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Each year, MHEDA identifies Critical Impact Factors (CIF) in an effort to combat issues most likely to adversely impact members\u2019 businesses. One 2017 CIF states, \u201cMembers must be prepared to modify their internal structure and sales process to meet the demands of multi-generational buyers and new purchasing trends.\u201d<\/p>\n

MHEDA supports this CIF by providing member tools such as The Four Pillars of Sales Profession Training Camp; management and sales career tracks via a learning management system; conference education sessions; and MHEDA-NET, which provides small-group networking. Like many associations, MHEDA boasts a tight-knit membership, and these types of networking and education\u2014where members learn from each other\u2019s successes and mistakes\u2014make the association much more powerful than any other information source.<\/p>\n

As MHEDA CEO Liz Richards said, \u201cRegardless of the industry, everyone should belong to their trade association where they are sure to get unbiased information and a wealth of knowledge from a network of peers who have walked the same walk. Even if MHEDA doesn\u2019t directly have the information a member is seeking, we will do everything in our power to find it and often will turn to other trade associations or other trusted partners to assist with the request. We are doing our jobs when a member calls us a valuable resource.\u201d<\/p>\n

Associated General Contractors of America<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As a trade organization representing the construction industry, disseminating reliable news is important not only for member information, but also to support ongoing legislative efforts such as safety regulations, affordable health care and infrastructure funding.<\/p>\n

Like many blue-collar industry businesses, AGC\u2019s company members face workforce shortages. One of AGC\u2019s current outreach efforts urges members to support reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins Act). According to AGC.org, the act \u201chelps students prepare for secondary and postsecondary education by providing access to federal dollars to offset the cost of career and technical education (CTE) programs. Authorization for the Perkins Act ended in 2013, but it has been operating under annual funding bills since then.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to providing members \u201creal news\u201d about the Act and its impact on the construction industry\u2019s future, AGC provides members a simple templated letter supporting reauthorization of the Act. The letter members forward onto lawmakers states in part, \u201cAs an individual in the construction industry I urge you to move forward with reauthorizing the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins Act). The construction industry is experiencing a critical shortage of skilled workers to fill in-demand positions. Career and technical education helps prepare both secondary and postsecondary students with the necessary academic, technical, and employ-ability skills required for successful entry into the workforce.\u201d This is an excellent example of an association providing a simple communication that benefits the industry and its members. Like AAPA and MHEDA, AGC regularly positions its messaging as reliable, trustworthy and far from \u201cfake news.\u201d<\/p>\n

While \u201cfake news\u201d likely will continue to be a source of frustration for many, associations should take advantage of this opportunity. Remind members that they joined an association to be part of something larger, more impactful and more relevant than anything they could have achieved alone. Associations are, now more than ever, the true voice of an industry.<\/p>\n

_________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

HOW DO YOU POSITION YOUR ASSOCIATION AS THE GO-TO NEWS RESOURCE FOR MEMBERS AND THE INDUSTRY?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/a>Jean Godwin, Executive Vice President\/General Counsel<\/strong>
\nAmerican Association of Port Authorities<\/strong>
\n\u201cWe do a lot of media outreach and are fortunate to have a dedicated public affairs director who makes this a priority. We establish relationships with media \u2014 meeting with them to educate them about our industry and our issues even when they are not working on a particular story. We invite them to media briefings held by us as well as others (such as the Congressional Ports Caucus) and have hosted media tours at ports. We alert them when we think there is an issue worthy of coverage. Personal contacts and establishing trust as a source (not just press releases and social media) are important.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Liz Richards, Chief Executive Officer<\/strong>
\nMaterial Handling Equipment Distributors Association<\/strong>
\n\u201cMHEDA is a trusted resource because many of our articles and features are authored by members who are industry colleagues and peers. When the content is coming from someone working in the trenches and sharing the same challenges, it becomes more human and real. When someone has the ability to reach out to a colleague who has shared insight and advice in the pages of The MHEDA Journal<\/em> or in our newsletter, that is an enormous benefit. We often refer to our publications as \u201cfor members, by members.'”<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Brian Turmail, Senior Executive Director, Public Affairs<\/strong>
\nAssociated General Contractors of America<\/strong>
\n\u201cWe work very hard to develop original content about what is happening in Washington that impacts the industry and what we are doing to address the issue. We also work with our Constructor<\/em> magazine to create exciting original content about overall industry trends. Then we supplement this original content with well-curated aggregations of the latest news that our members should be aware of. We then share all this content with our members electronically, in print and via social media.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jill Andreu is Naylor\u2019s vice president, content strategy and development. Jill works with a team of Naylor content strategists to bring association clients top-notch content and strategy services. Jill is also responsible for Naylor\u2019s communication gap analysis and survey services. Email her at jandreu@naylor.com<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There has never been a more critical time for associations to remind members that their association fights for them, and information disseminated to members is factual, reliable, relevant and necessary.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":7224,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,87,12],"tags":[473,29,135,1354],"class_list":["post-7223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-association-leadership","category-marketing-communications","tag-advocacy-2","tag-association","tag-communications","tag-fake-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAssociation Advocacy Thrives in 'Fake News' Era - Association Adviser<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It is a critical time for associations to remind members that the information they disseminate is factual, reliable, relevant and necessary.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/association-advocacy-thrives-fake-news-era\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Association Advocacy Thrives in 'Fake News' Era - Association Adviser\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It is a critical time for associations to remind members that the information they disseminate is factual, reliable, relevant and necessary.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/association-advocacy-thrives-fake-news-era\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Association Adviser\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-08-07T20:23:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/08\/Fake-News.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"620\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"330\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.naylor.com\\\/associationadviser\\\/association-advocacy-thrives-fake-news-era\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.naylor.com\\\/associationadviser\\\/association-advocacy-thrives-fake-news-era\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"\",\"@id\":\"\"},\"headline\":\"Association Advocacy Thrives in ‘Fake News’ Era\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-08-07T20:23:02+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.naylor.com\\\/associationadviser\\\/association-advocacy-thrives-fake-news-era\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1448,\"commentCount\":1,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.naylor.com\\\/associationadviser\\\/association-advocacy-thrives-fake-news-era\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.naylor.com\\\/associationadviser\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2017\\\/08\\\/Fake-News.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"advocacy\",\"association\",\"communications\",\"fake news\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Features\",\"Leadership\",\"Marketing & Communications\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.naylor.com\\\/associationadviser\\\/association-advocacy-thrives-fake-news-era\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.naylor.com\\\/associationadviser\\\/association-advocacy-thrives-fake-news-era\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.naylor.com\\\/associationadviser\\\/association-advocacy-thrives-fake-news-era\\\/\",\"name\":\"Association Advocacy Thrives in 'Fake News' Era - Association Adviser\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.naylor.com\\\/associationadviser\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.naylor.com\\\/associationadviser\\\/association-advocacy-thrives-fake-news-era\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.naylor.com\\\/associationadviser\\\/association-advocacy-thrives-fake-news-era\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.naylor.com\\\/associationadviser\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2017\\\/08\\\/Fake-News.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-08-07T20:23:02+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"\"},\"description\":\"It is a critical time for associations to remind members that the information they disseminate is factual, reliable, relevant and necessary.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.naylor.com\\\/associationadviser\\\/association-advocacy-thrives-fake-news-era\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.naylor.com\\\/associationadviser\\\/association-advocacy-thrives-fake-news-era\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.naylor.com\\\/associationadviser\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2017\\\/08\\\/Fake-News.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.naylor.com\\\/associationadviser\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2017\\\/08\\\/Fake-News.jpg\",\"width\":620,\"height\":330},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.naylor.com\\\/associationadviser\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.naylor.com\\\/associationadviser\\\/\",\"name\":\"Association Adviser\",\"description\":\"Leadership Strategies & Best Practices for Association Professionals\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.naylor.com\\\/associationadviser\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.naylor.com\\\/associationadviser\\\/author\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Association Advocacy Thrives in 'Fake News' Era - Association Adviser","description":"It is a critical time for associations to remind members that the information they disseminate is factual, reliable, relevant and necessary.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/association-advocacy-thrives-fake-news-era\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Association Advocacy Thrives in 'Fake News' Era - Association Adviser","og_description":"It is a critical time for associations to remind members that the information they disseminate is factual, reliable, relevant and necessary.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/association-advocacy-thrives-fake-news-era\/","og_site_name":"Association Adviser","article_published_time":"2017-08-07T20:23:02+00:00","og_image":[{"width":620,"height":330,"url":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/08\/Fake-News.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/association-advocacy-thrives-fake-news-era\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/association-advocacy-thrives-fake-news-era\/"},"author":{"name":"","@id":""},"headline":"Association Advocacy Thrives in ‘Fake News’ Era","datePublished":"2017-08-07T20:23:02+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/association-advocacy-thrives-fake-news-era\/"},"wordCount":1448,"commentCount":1,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/association-advocacy-thrives-fake-news-era\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/08\/Fake-News.jpg","keywords":["advocacy","association","communications","fake news"],"articleSection":["Features","Leadership","Marketing & Communications"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/association-advocacy-thrives-fake-news-era\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/association-advocacy-thrives-fake-news-era\/","url":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/association-advocacy-thrives-fake-news-era\/","name":"Association Advocacy Thrives in 'Fake News' Era - Association Adviser","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/association-advocacy-thrives-fake-news-era\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/association-advocacy-thrives-fake-news-era\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/08\/Fake-News.jpg","datePublished":"2017-08-07T20:23:02+00:00","author":{"@id":""},"description":"It is a critical time for associations to remind members that the information they disseminate is factual, reliable, relevant and necessary.","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/association-advocacy-thrives-fake-news-era\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/association-advocacy-thrives-fake-news-era\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/08\/Fake-News.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/08\/Fake-News.jpg","width":620,"height":330},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/","name":"Association Adviser","description":"Leadership Strategies & Best Practices for Association Professionals","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"","url":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/author\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7223"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7223\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}