Member Article

Hootsuite collaborates with the World Health Organization to help combat misinformation around global health crises

By providing pro bono services, digital tools and access to courses and certifications, Hootsuite increases spread of factual and research-led information on social media

Hootsuite, the global leader in social media management, is proud to announce a strategic collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) Digital Channels team, an extension of Digital Health & Innovations, in an effort to combat misinformation around global health crises. Through this initiative, Hootsuite is offering WHO pro bono services, digital tools and access to its on-demand Hootsuite Academy courses and certifications.

Hootsuite is a member of the WHO Tech Taskforce, a collaboration of technology companies supporting WHO in its mission of advancing health innovation and equity and deploying critical information to global audiences. Bringing this effort to life, Hootsuite and WHO will apply key lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic to manage misinformation surrounding other global health crises, including monkeypox, the Ebola outbreak in Uganda, and more.

“When the world shut down, digital channels opened up, and we saw an influx of people turning to social media as their primary news source,” said Eva Taylor, Director of Social Impact, Hootsuite. “We’re so proud that our digital support will contribute to correcting misinformation, while helping to boost WHO’s social reach and engagement. We look forward to the impact that this initiative will have in amplifying the voices that are spreading factual, objective insights on a global scale.”

Alongside members of the Tech Taskforce, the WHO Digital Channels team has built a network of influencers to create social media content that debunks misinformation surrounding health topics from immunisations to breast cancer. With Hootsuite’s support, WHO is able to support these influencers — including scientists, doctors and frontline workers — with content, best practices, publishing tools and guidance on how to effectively execute a social media strategy. Tools provided to influencers include Hootsuite’s Enterprise offering and its Insights and Amplify dashboards.

“We are excited to collaborate with Hootsuite to expand our reach across social media platforms and streamline our processes,” said Andy Pattison, Digital Channels Team Lead, WHO. “Technology companies like Hootsuite enable WHO and our network of medical influencers to reach more people around the globe with life-saving health information.”

“The OurKidsHealth team is very excited to collaborate with Hootsuite to bring evidence-based child health information to diverse communities globally,” continued Dr. Ripudaman Singh Minhas, MD MPH FRCPC, OurKidsHealth Network Lead.

In addition to influencer engagement, WHO will benefit from Hootsuite’s social listening services to better understand online conversations and monitor social activities related to its business and the broader healthcare industry. Hootsuite is also committed to providing WHO with early access to innovative tools and product launches that have the power to scale critical information to the widest possible audience.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by P Adams .