PRESS RELEASES
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
VANCOUVER, BC — October 20, 2022 — 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 our collaboration 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 immunizations 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.
About Hootsuite
Hootsuite helps customers harness the power of social to ignite their brand and business. As the global leader in social media management, Hootsuite powers social media for brands and organizations around the world, from the smallest businesses to the largest enterprises. Hootsuite’s unparalleled expertise in social media management, social insights, employee advocacy, and social customer care empowers organizations to strategically grow their brands, businesses, and customer relationships with social media.
Hootsuite Academy, the industry-leading online learning platform, empowers education and growth through a wide range of certifications and has delivered over one million courses to over half a million people worldwide.
To learn more, visit www.hootsuite.com.
About WHO
The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States, across six regions and from more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and wellbeing.