DHL’s Spreading COVID-19 Over the Sky? Handling Corporate Response to Misinformation with Humour

Companies are increasingly faced with online misinformation that can damage their reputation. This article extends paracrisis research by identifying a new form of denial and explores how to refine paracrisis response strategies to better defend corporate reputation against misinformation. Using an explanatory research design and qualitative data analysis, this study introduces “denial by humour” as a distinct refutation strategy. The research outlines how this specific strategy functions within the broader context of crisis communication as one of the three types of refutation strategies. Through a detailed case study of DHL’s response to misinformation about the COVID-19 virus being spread from the sky, the paper enhances paracrisis research by identifying potentially effective communication tactics, including strategic silence, social media management, employee engagement, and crisis advertising. The article also provides managerial implications, highlighting the crucial role of stakeholders such as politicians, the media, and employees, and discusses appropriate preventive strategies such as media monitoring and the implementation of an ethical code of conduct.