To fight online misinformation, engage with the 'trolls,' city leaders say

Recent false allegations from former President Donald Trump and his campaign about Haitian immigrants eating cats and dogs in Springfield, Ohio, began when a neo-Nazi group started spreading the rumor on social networks popular with extremists.

The rumor quickly crossed over to mainstream social media, such as Facebook and X. After Trump repeated the misinformation during the presidential debate, the story spread like wildfire across platforms. Soon, city officials in Springfield were on social media, too, posting information about bomb threats and canceling festivals for the public’s safety. The city even had to limit comments on its official Facebook page in a bid to stem the tide of negativity. 

It is only recently that city officials have resumed a normal tone on its social platforms, featuring information about leaf collection, road closures and Mayor Rob Rue’s visit to Springfield High School. The online rumors have continued unabated, however. Various social media influencers have reportedly looked to fan the flames with content of their own, even as City Manager Bryan Heck has repeatedly warned of “how dangerous creating stories and spreading misinformation can be.”

The city continues to limit comments on Facebook, but when it stops, officials will almost certainly hear from those purposely spreading misinformation. And while it can be tempting to just ignore the trolls, engaging with them can be successful, speakers said at a session during the International City/County Management Association’s annual conference in Pittsburgh this week.

“If somebody is spreading misinformation, we're going to jump into that comment thread and respond,” said Kara Roberson, strategic communications officer for the city of Wentzville, Missouri. The city, she continued, then plays a game of wait and see. “We try to let it die its own death, which it usually does, or for the public to come in and jump in, which they do.”

Wentzville has formed an external communications ambassador group to, among other things, help build understanding of how government works. The group is made up of residents who have graduated from the citizens’ police academy, which has a curriculum that deals with what Roberson described as the foibles of “trolls or complainers.” Giving these residents a greater insight into how things work in the fast-growing city of 50,000 near St. Louis helps to get them to join boards and commissions, and generally be more engaged in municipal affairs.

Sara Bustilloz, communications and marketing director for the city of Round Rock, Texas, said she and her colleagues use GIFs with memes, pictures or simple reactions to respond to comments. And, she added, when the city posts something that is likely to stir intense feelings and comments, it is important not to bunker down and wait out the storm but engage right away.

“When you're posting something controversial, the first couple hours are the most important,” Bustilloz said. “We don't like to let the comments simmer. We like to jump in there right away and start responding to any of our trolls. Trolls hate it. When you respond to them, they hate it. They just want to be the star of the show. They want to reply in the comments, feel like they're in charge.”

In a separate session at the ICMA event, Thomas Goetz, the cofounder of the nonprofit environmental research group Building H, said too many public information officers still instinctually hold back from publishing information as they believe it is “not ready for primetime.”

Being more proactive helps prevent narratives from forming on social media, said Goetz, who is also a former journalist. He acknowledged, though, that the “proactivity window” is small given how quickly information spreads online.

Peter Pirnejad, the city manager of Los Altos Hills, California, said in the same session that even seemingly innocuous developments have caused controversy in his small community of 8,000. Rumors quickly spread that a levee project planned would be far bigger than anything disclosed to the public before. Pirnejad said the town had to “flood the market” with information and responses to stop the narrative from taking hold.

One platform that Pirnejad said he remains skeptical of is Nextdoor, a hyperlocal social networking site for people in specific neighborhoods to post events, news and questions for the community. He said it’s a “big problem” for misinformation. Bustilloz said it’s “not resonating” with Round Rock residents, and Roberson said it’s a good resource in her growing community.

Finding an authentic, specific voice on social media also helps build trust with your residents, panelists said. That doesn’t have to mean constantly using regional slang, but posting content that is relatable and people feel comfortable interacting with. Then, when serious events happen, a sense of trust is already built.

“If 80% of the time you're relating to people, you're posting content where they don't even really recognize it's government, then the 20% where you really need to reach out to them, they're already listening,” said Bustilloz. “They already trust you.”

That can be a tricky balance to navigate, however, as city departments may not understand what types of content does well on certain social media platforms and creates engagement. For example, Bustilloz said, posting flyers for upcoming events may not be an effective way to communicate. It’s therefore up to social media professionals to explain their methods and strategies in a way that resonates with department heads.

“As the communications team, we have to protect that engagement and not water it down with a post here or there,” Bustilloz said. “In strategic communications, you're asking, ‘What are the outcomes you want to see? What are your goals for this message?’ Let's not talk about the tactic and what the design needs to look like. If I can get that out of them, then perhaps that flier does actually [work. Or]maybe it is a video, maybe it's a reel, maybe it's a funny meme post. If we can do that, we're still hitting what they're trying to achieve.”