Trial by media - are you Royal Commission ready?

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June 24, 2019

Trial by media – are you Royal Commission ready?

Arm your business with intel

‘It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it’– Benjamin Franklin

Since its announcement in October, the media has covered – and created – a significant amount of dialogue surrounding the string of scandals set to be uncovered in the upcoming Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.

Whether it’s the September 2018 Four Corners report nationally scrutinising the stories of those that were victim to improper aged care and health care standards, the coverage on court rulings and prosecutions against carers who have harmed the safety of patients, or the September 2017 article published by the Sydney Morning Herald comparing the reputation of aged care facilities to the human right violating character of Guantanamo Bay, the media has successfully invited fear and distrust in the quality of care aged care services provided across Australia.

Investigations for the Royal Commission are targeted at the entire aged care sector – no aged care facility or governing organisation can be certain how this will affect their reputation, staff, operations or functioning. Being prepared and informed of what media is generated is imperative to stay proactive and primed for how the business could be affected.

So how do you decide if your aged care facility needs to manage your reputation? You need to ask yourself:

Do the Royal Commission’s Terms of Reference cover aspects or issues relevant to my organisation?

• Management systems
• Staffing
• Organisational development
• Instances of abuse, reportable assaults, neglect
• Failures of care
• Theft of belongings
• Hygiene
• Quality of food
• Sanitary conditions
• Restrictions on freedom and movement

Do we want to manage these topics or issues through any of the following?

• Campaign tracking
• Crisis management
• Identifying influencers
• Measuring and analysing success
• Media monitoring
• Reputation management
• Risk management
• Straightforward reporting

Mediaportal gives you access to all relevant media data, ensuring you’re ready to deal with, and proactively plan, communications and PR activities amidst the Royal Commission inquiry.
Covering all top media and relevant regional outlets, our Mediaportal platform ensures you’re informed of the media landscape before you are hit with a crisis.

Visit www.isentia.com/aged-care for more details and to register for a complimentary 5-day trial of our Aged Care Briefing.

Loren Botica

Loren is an experienced marketing professional who translates data and insights using Isentia solutions into trends and research, bringing clients closer to the benefits of audience intelligence. Loren thrives on introducing the groundbreaking ways in which data and insights can help a brand or organisation, enabling them to exceed their strategic objectives and goals.

Whitepaper

Snapshot of the aged care industry

The Royal Commission into Aged Care has commenced, and the standards within the aged care sector are now under review. Download our information sheet to gain a better understanding of the aged care sector and how our exclusive aged care media briefing service can benefit your organisation throughout the Royal Commission.

Whitepaper

Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety

The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety was established on 8 October 2018 and since its announcement, over 28,000 new stories have been discussed across print, online, radio and broadcast outlets in Australia.

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Many organisations know stakeholder engagement matters, but turning that knowledge into an approach that consistently works is another story. At the recent webinar How to Master Your Stakeholder Strategy, leaders from Meridian Energy, the Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, and Isentia shared lessons from the field on what meaningful engagement really looks like.

Know who your stakeholders are

Stakeholders aren’t just on the periphery. As Mandy Griffiths from the Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing explained, they are “the people who really have a great influence on whether the things that you’re working on or decisions you’re making are successful or not.” Internal stakeholders can be just as critical as external ones, especially in large organisations. Choosing terminology that reflects value and honesty helps too: her team prefers “critical friends” because it signals both importance and the possibility of differing views.

Build trust with evidence

Phil Clarke from Meridian Energy described how evidence can guide engagement strategies. By surveying 500 stakeholders mid-way through a two-year project, his team gained clear insights into what drives trust. This evidence-led approach, he says, “gives teams effectively a cheat sheet for what they need to do to build trust among their stakeholders.” Starting with data rather than assumptions helps teams focus their efforts where it matters most.

Learn through listening

Complex situations, like the pandemic, show why humility and iterative learning are essential. Mandy recalled that asking communities directly about their needs often revealed challenges her team hadn’t anticipated. “So many times we went in thinking we knew what the biggest pain points were, and it turned out to be something else entirely,” she said. Taking the time to listen ensures effort is spent on the right priorities.

Measure, adapt, and personalise

Measurement underpins high-performing strategies. Ngaire Crawford from Isentia stressed that “late teams don’t guess, they measure,” from establishing baselines to tracking engagement and adapting based on what the data shows. Effective strategies also go beyond simple demographics, grouping stakeholders by motivations, concerns, influence networks, and communication preferences. Closing the feedback loop is crucial: “Stakeholders who feel heard are the ones that are most likely to become advocates,” Ngaire explained.

Key takeaways

Treat stakeholders as central, not peripheral.
Use evidence to understand trust and guide decisions.
Listen first, act later, assumptions can mislead.
Measure and adapt continuously.
Personalise engagement based on motivations, not just demographics.

The common thread from the webinar: engagement works best when it’s informed, iterative, and genuinely centred on the people involved.

Watch the full webinar here, or contact our team to see how Isentia’s SRM solutions can help you achieve your stakeholder goals.

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Building stakeholder strategies that work in the real world

Many organisations know stakeholder engagement matters, but turning that knowledge into an approach that consistently works is another story. At the recent webinar How to Master Your Stakeholder Strategy, leaders from Meridian Energy, the Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, and Isentia shared lessons from the field on what meaningful engagement really looks like. […]

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During reputational crises, many brands find themselves pressed into strategies that are entirely reactive. However, a better understanding of a brand's audience and stakeholders – how they communicate and what they value – would empower brands and the teams running their messaging to respond more authentically, helping comms land in the right way at the right time.
With AI content taking over audience news and social feeds, brand leadership must invest in creating a framework that actually measures authenticity.

Prashant Saxena, VP of Revenue and Insights, for Isentia (SEA region) in his research paper on "Authenticity in the age of AI" has identified cues or signals that audiences subconsciously look for when identifying if a social post is written by a human or virtual influencer. Understanding these cues gives brands and PR leaders a much needed manual or playbook that guides them with the content audiences expect to consume. These equip us with a practical roadmap with clear implications for AI governance and digital literacy amidst the workplace and audiences.

Why is authenticity in crisis?

There is a trust gap, as audiences show declining faith in brands and their leadership. Some of these factors are highly polarised, such as differing responses to CEOs and their part in society. But the most universal, and nascent, challenge to brand trust appears to be the rollout of AI. Businesses are now under the microscope, with changes to business models, substandard service and inauthentic communications all likely to be blamed on leadership teams haphazardly implementing AI solutions.

Astronomer's former CEO Andy Byron and the controversy at the Coldplay concert has added to this decline in trust and all the more underscores an authenticity crisis. Post the controversy, there was a fake apology statement that was circulated on X and other social media platforms. The company had to release a statement saying that the apology was in fact fake and was concocted by someone who wanted to satisfy audience sentiments. This is very telling in that, audiences will always be more attracted to content that conforms with their views and would accept anything at face value without having the need to fact check.

This underpins the need for brands to be as authentic as possible when it comes to responding to crisis.

Cues in action

Audiences are more alert than ever to signals of what feels genuine online. These subtle markers, from factual accuracy and cultural relevance to tone, consistency, and timing, influence whether people trust a brand’s message, engage with it, or scroll past.

Our analysis of leadership posts on social platforms reveals a pattern. The more authenticity cues a post displayed, the higher the engagement it received. It’s not about relying on one signal but about layering multiple ones together. Posts that showed identity, accuracy, emotional expression, and consistency outperformed those that didn’t. For brands, this insight offers a practical takeaway. Every post can be tested against these cues. The closer the content aligns with them, the more likely it is to spark meaningful engagement. When conversations are filtered through these markers, the most valuable audience feedback comes into focus, the kind that helps brands adjust strategies and connect more deeply with people.

Looking at how tech leaders post on LinkedIn shows just how powerful authenticity cues can be. Piotr Skalski’s celebration of hitting 30,000 GitHub stars combined identity, visuals, community validation, and more - and it drew the highest engagement. Tay Bannerman’s post leaned on accuracy, cultural insight, and emotion, earning slightly less traction, while Oliver Molander’s take on ChatGPT carried fewer cues overall and saw the lowest engagement of the three. This comparison highlights how posts with a richer mix of cues tend to resonate more, while those with fewer signals struggle to spark the same response.

Authenticity isn’t one-dimensional. It’s built from many layers, and brands that balance the scale and efficiency of AI with recognisable human signals will stand out. Those who manage both can achieve more by building trust, relevance, and long-term human connection. Ching Yee Wong, VP of Communications, APEC at Marriott International said, "AI can enhance planning and recommendations, but the human element remains central to the experience. Technology supports efficiency, while cultural sensitivity and personal care must remain human-driven."

How the launch of Chat GPT-5 did not conform with audience expectations

The GPT-5 launch was not the best. The expectations were so high, that audiences knew it was bound to disappoint. Why was it not up to mark? The online vocal users of a brand are the spokespeople that the brand did not choose. These audiences are loyal users of the product and in exchange, they expect that the brand provide them with what they need. The monetary aspect becomes irrelevant if the brand delivers.

When OpenAI launched GPT-5, many long-time users felt let down. The decision to merge earlier models into one version was seen by some as a cost-cutting move, and the disappointment was loudest among the platform’s most loyal audience. Running these reactions through our authenticity cues showed a clear gap in cultural relevance. The release didn’t reflect the expectations or norms of its most vocal users. That’s an important lesson for brands and leaders - audiences want to feel heard. The best way to achieve that is by analysing online conversations through these cues, which can reveal what people truly expect and guide how to respond.

Interested in learning how Isentia can help? Fill in your details below to get access to our latest Authenticity Report and read more about our cues designed to measure brand authenticity.

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How to rebuild brand trust through authentic communication

Learn the major cues or signals that help PR leaders and brands measure authenticity, to deal with reputation risks and rebuild trust.

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Get in touch or request a demo.

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