By Adam Probolsky Most Americans are not trying to get to the “shining city on a hill.” They can’t see “a thousand points of light.” They do not believe it’s morning in America.” But it gets worse, recent national polling shows that just 54% of us have a positive view of capitalism – it’s down […]
Crisis communications is a sub-specialty of the public relations profession that is designed to protect and defend an individual, company, or organization facing a public challenge to its reputation. Crisis communications is aimed at raising awareness of a specific type of threat, the magnitude, outcomes, and specific behaviors to adopt to reduce the threat. […]
By Christine Haughney Dare-Bryan, writing for Provoke Media PR officials offer their greatest wisdom on how to lead through angry times. CHICAGO — There’s no debate that society is living through an “age of rage” — from the murder of health care executives to the polarizing political debates that dominate news headlines. But at Provoke […]
By Julianna Jacobson, writing for PR News In the last few days, major platforms relying on AWS experienced widespread outages, leaving users locked out, brands scrambling internally and support teams overloaded with frustration they didn’t create but are expected to fix. What happened was bigger than a technical disruption: it was a trust disruption. And when your company […]
The online anger over the logo change and calls to oust the CEO were actually turbocharged by bots. Even the green beans are making people mad. Introduction by Allison Girvin, Hennes Communications In today’s digital landscape, a brand crisis can erupt in hours. As Cracker Barrel’s recent logo controversy shows, it can be fueled not […]
In an era of disruption—where geopolitics, generative AI, workplace shifts, and rising stakeholder scrutiny collide, the CEO’s voice has never mattered more. This article argues that leaders can no longer delegate communications to corporate affairs teams alone; instead, they must personally set the tone for the organization, embody its culture and values, and step forward […]
By Thom Weidlich for PRCG | Haggerty LLC We recently came across a crisis story from last year that had escaped our attention, though we’re willing to bet Chicago-area communicators are well aware of it. A restaurant-bar accused of assaulting a patron fought back by releasing video that turned public opinion in its favor. It’s […]
By Eric Rose for PRCG | Haggerty LLC There are PR blunders and there are catastrophes so tone-deaf they become case studies for years to come. The Polish millionaire CEO accused of snatching a tennis cap meant for a child at the U.S. Open has secured his place in the latter category. And his scrambling […]
So far in 2025, Hennes Communications has worked with 30 school districts, schools and education organizations navigating crises ranging from sexual misconduct to labor disputes, social media backlash and book bans. And a new school year beckons. Schools have always been in the public eye and vulnerable to reputation-challenging problems. The primary mission is education. […]
By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications When it comes to crisis communications, no amount of spin can repair the damage caused by poor judgment at the top. By now, you’ve probably seen the viral clip. At a Coldplay concert, in front of tens of thousands of fans, the stadium’s KissCam landed on Andy Byron, CEO of […]