Here is a 6-paragraph news article summarising the content.
ICCO Launches Industry-First Mis/Disinformation Training & Certification Program to Combat Global Information Crisis
LONDON/MUMBAI, 16 September 2026 – The International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) has today announced the launch of its flagship Mis/Disinformation Training & Certification Program, a pioneering industry-first initiative designed to equip up to 100 communications professionals with the advanced skills required to identify, counter, and prevent misinformation and disinformation in an increasingly volatile global information ecosystem. The comprehensive online program, which will run from 15 October to 15 December 2026, comes at a critical juncture, echoing the World Economic Forum’s 2024, 2025, and 2026 Global Risk Reports, all of which consistently identify misinformation and disinformation as leading short-term risks to global stability. With a global reach and a deliberately limited cohort of just 100 trainees, the initiative aims to create a highly skilled, certified vanguard of practitioners capable of protecting organisational reputation, public trust, and democratic resilience. The program represents the culmination of ICCO’s six-year commitment to combating false information, building on its pro-bono support to the European Medicines Agency in 2021 during the COVID-19 infodemic and the development of industry-leading resources such as the “Tackling Mis/Disinformation: A Global Digital Handbook for Communicators” in 2025. By coupling rigorous academic and practical training with an industry-recognised credential, ICCO is seeking to professionalise the fight against false narratives, transforming communications advisors from reactive crisis managers into proactive guardians of truth in an era defined by digital fragmentation and synthetic media.
The launch of the certification program addresses a rapidly deteriorating information landscape characterised by unprecedented challenges. Algorithmic fragmentation has divided the global information society into isolated digital ecosystems, enabling false narratives to spread rapidly within closed communities where fact-checks and corrections rarely penetrate. At the same time, artificial intelligence has emerged as a deeply dual-use technology: while it offers powerful tools for detecting disinformation at scale, it also dramatically lowers the barrier to creating convincing fake text, images, audio, and video. This dual nature of AI demands that communications professionals develop a sophisticated understanding of both the threats and opportunities it presents, a core focus of the ICCO curriculum. The urgency of the moment has been further heightened by recent decisions from major social media platforms to terminate agreements with third-party fact-checking entities in select regions, a move that has provoked widespread concern among practitioners. According to an ICCO survey, a striking 82% of communicators expressed strong opposition to the removal of these fact-checking partnerships, underscoring an industry-wide consensus that credible fact-checking collaborations—alongside proactive strategies such as pre-bunking, scenario preparation, and robust organisational design—remain absolutely essential to stemming the tide of false information. The ICCO program therefore responds not only to the growing sophistication of disinformation campaigns but also to an industry demand for a standardised, certifiable skill set that can restore confidence in institutional communications and media ecosystems.
The curriculum for the two-month online program is both intensive and practical, comprising six core modules followed by a final test and certification. The first module, “Disinformation 101,” provides a foundational understanding of definitions, characteristics, and counter-strategies, ensuring participants can distinguish between misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation, and understand the psychological and algorithmic mechanisms that drive viral falsehoods. The second module, “The Basics of Fact-Checking and Source Verification,” introduces practical tools for verifying audiovisual content, a critical skill in an era of deepfakes and AI-generated imagery, teaching participants how to trace origins, authenticate sources, and expose manipulated media. The third module, “Analysing the Spread of (Dis)information,” translates dissemination dynamics into actionable crisis response strategies, enabling professionals to map how false narratives move across platforms, identify key amplifiers, and intervene at the most effective points in the information lifecycle. The fourth module, “Media Literacy and Crisis Preparation,” addresses systemic ecosystem vulnerabilities and mitigation tactics, embedding media literacy principles into organisational crisis playbooks so that companies and institutions are prepared before a disinformation attack occurs. The fifth module, “Reporting, Correcting, and Responding,” focuses on strategic escalation and response procedures, helping practitioners decide when to correct, how to frame corrections, and how to escalate issues to platforms, regulators, or law enforcement. Finally, the sixth module, “Generative AI, Search, and New Challenges,” explores AI-driven disinformation risks and organisational mitigation strategies, equipping participants to harness AI for defense while guarding against its misuse. The program concludes with a final test, upon successful completion of which participants earn an industry-recognised credential that signals their expertise to employers and clients alike.
The target audience for the program is deliberately broad and tri-sectoral, designed for agency and in-house Communications and PR advisors, Corporate and Public Affairs Consultants, Brand Managers, Social Media professionals, and Journalists. This rare tri-audience approach is intended to create valuable networking and knowledge-sharing opportunities across disciplines that are often siloed, fostering a collaborative community of practice that can respond collectively to information threats. Speaking at the launch, Massimo Moriconi, ICCO President, emphasised the existential importance of the initiative, stating: “As misinformation and disinformation become increasingly sophisticated and consequential, communications professionals must evolve from reactive crisis managers to strategic defenders of truth, trust and business. This certification program reflects our commitment to equipping the communications industry with the knowledge, tools, and community needed to meet this defining challenge of our time—particularly as AI continues to reshape both the creation and detection of false information.” Moriconi’s remarks underscore a broader shift in the communications profession: no longer can PR and communications specialists confine themselves to message amplification and reputation management; they must now serve as the first line of defense against information warfare targeting their organisations, their stakeholders, and the public sphere. By providing a structured curriculum with a formal certification, ICCO is effectively raising the professional bar for the entire industry, signalling that competency in countering mis/disinformation is no longer optional but a core function of modern communications practice.
ICCO has secured a high-profile academic and fact-checking partner for the program, further strengthening its credibility and practical relevance. Giovanni Zagni, Director of Pagella Politica/Facta, one of Europe’s leading fact-checking organisations, expressed strong support for the initiative, stating: “We are very proud to be partnering with ICCO in this ground-breaking certification program. We want to bridge the gap between fact-checking practitioners and the communications industry, as well as the business community at large. Mis- and disinformation needs to be tackled with a collective effort, and this program will give all the practical and intellectual tools in order to do so.” The partnership between ICCO and Pagella Politica/Facta is particularly significant, as it bridges the worlds of journalism, fact-checking, and corporate communications, ensuring that the program’s curriculum is grounded in real-world verification methodologies rather than abstract theory. This collaborative spirit is emblematic of ICCO’s broader approach to the information crisis: the organisation recognises that no single sector can solve the problem alone, and that meaningful progress requires an alliance of PR professionals, journalists, fact-checkers, technologists, and policymakers. For trainees, this means access to frontline expertise and case studies from actual fact-checking operations, providing a rare behind-the-scenes look at how disinformation is debunked, tracked, and neutralised in real time. The result is a program that not only teaches participants how to protect their organisations but also how to contribute to the wider societal effort to preserve the integrity of public information.
The ICCO Mis/Disinformation Training & Certification Program is the latest milestone in a sustained, six-year campaign by the organisation to lead the communications industry in the fight against false information. Since 2021, ICCO has spearheaded numerous initiatives, partnering with prominent organisations including the Council of Europe, The Trust Project, EACD, GWPR, AMEC, and EUPRERA, to develop standards, resources, and educational opportunities focused on information integrity. Notable initiatives include the Media Information and Education Pledge in 2023, which called on communications professionals to commit to transparent and honest practices, and the Future PR Student Competition in 2024-2025, which engaged the next generation of practitioners in tackling mis/disinformation challenges. The new certification program builds on this strong foundation, offering a structured and scalable approach to professional development that can be adopted by communications teams around the world. With applications limited to 100 trainees, the program is expected to be highly competitive, attracting top talent from agencies, corporations, public sector bodies, and media organisations across the globe. As the digital information ecosystem grows ever more complex—marked by generative AI, declining trust in media, and platform-driven fragmentation—the need for certified, knowledgeable communicators has never been more urgent. ICCO’s initiative clearly positions professional communications at the heart of the solution, transforming the industry into a formidable force for truth, transparency, and accountability in a time of global information crisis.