Fake news and crisis communication management in social media

With the rise of social media all over the world, the spread and circulation of fake news have increased. In this thesis, fake news' potential of causing crisis for institutions and their possible crisis communication strategies have been researched. It aims to fill a gap in academic publications, as the number of sources on fake news and crisis communication is thus far quite limited. Consisting of three chapters, the first chapter of the thesis deals with the concept of crisis, crisis communication management and strategies of crisis communication in social media. Second chapter is a literature review of already limited number of sources on fake news and social media. Third chapter deals with the importance, scope, limits and methodology of the thesis, as well as its findings. The outcomes of this research show that fake news have become an increasingly difficult issue for institutions, through the rise of social media. Before an issue or a crisis comes up through fake news, to create a specific crisis management plan and to adopt a proactive approach is quite important. Keywords: Crisis, crisis communication management, fake news, social media.