The New Rules of Credibility in a Misinformation Era

If you’ve ever read a headline and thought, "This feels like it was written by an energy drink guzzling guy living in his mom’s basement," congratulations—you’re living in the misinformation era. Trust is scarce, skepticism is high, and every conversation feels like a low-stakes episode of MythBusters.

Communication is harder now because people have forgotten how to talk, and it’s gotten harder because audiences are conditioned to question everything. And honestly, who can blame them? We’re swimming in a digital ocean where real information, half-truths, AI-generated filler, and your angry uncle’s Facebook posts all look exactly the same.

So how do you communicate credibly when the world is side-eyeing every sentence? Start by understanding that transparency has replaced authority. There was a time when “because I said so” carried weight—parents, bosses, and anyone holding a clipboard could get away with it. That’s not the case anymore. People want to know where your information comes from, why you believe it, what biases you might have, and whether you’re secretly being funded by Big (insert industry name here).

Frankly, these are not bad things.

Transparency isn’t a nice-to-have; it’s the baseline. As researcher Claire Wardle puts it, the antidote to misinformation is more information—delivered clearly and openly. In other words, show your work, even if it’s messy.

Authenticity has also become more persuasive than perfection. We’re living in an age where AI can make anyone sound like a Fortune 500 CEO delivering a keynote at the World Economic Forum. But polished, flawless communication no longer builds trust. It feels manufactured, rehearsed, and suspiciously optimized. Authenticity, by contrast, is magnetic. It’s the quirks, the human edges, the small imperfections that signal, “A real person is talking here.” If you’ve ever read a corporate statement that begins with “We take your concerns very seriously,” you know exactly how hollow perfection can sound.

Context has become essential, too. Facts don’t exist in isolation; without context, even true information can mislead. “Sharks kill five people a year,” and “Cows kill twenty people a year” are both accurate, but without explanation, you might assume cows are serial killers. In an era of misinformation, communicators must provide the why, the how, and what this means, or audiences will fill in the gaps themselves—and they rarely do so gently.

Admitting uncertainty is now a credibility booster, not a liability. Pretending to know something you don’t is one of the fastest ways to lose trust. People can smell overconfidence the way dogs can smell fear. The counterintuitive move is to acknowledge what you don’t know. It shows honesty, humility, and a lack of a hidden agenda. Ironically, it makes people trust you more. Phrases like “Here’s what we know so far,” “This may change as we learn more,” or “I don’t have the full picture yet, but here’s what I can tell you” stand out in a world full of loud certainty.

And then there’s the question of humanity. We’ve reached a point where people genuinely wonder whether the message they’re reading was written by a human or a machine. That’s not ideal. So you have to signal your humanity—through humor, specificity, stories, and details no algorithm would think to include. If you say, “I’m passionate about leveraging cross-functional synergies,” you sound like a bot. Seriously, what does that even mean? I worked in government and education communications for years and consistently urged people to use plain language. Instead, say, “I like bringing different teams together to get better results.” Humanity builds trust, and trust builds credibility.

Being credible now means not only sharing information, but shaping it into something people can trust. People aren’t just looking for information; they’re looking for someone to help them navigate the chaos. Credible communicators sift, filter, contextualize, and translate. They act as guides, not broadcasters. Think of yourself as the friend who reads the entire menu, so others don’t have to.

Credibility used to be about authority. Now it’s about transparency, authenticity, context, humility, and humanity. It’s about showing your work and showing your face.

The misinformation era isn’t going anywhere, but communicators who adapt to these new rules won’t just survive it—they’ll stand out. If all else fails, remember this: if your message sounds like it was written by a robot, people will treat it that way. Keep it human. Keep it honest. Keep it real. Your credibility depends on it.

(Tim Herrera is the author of “Public Speaking: Simple Steps to Improve Your Skills” and “Mastering Media: Strategies for Effective Communication in the Digital Age.”  You’ll find both Amazon.)