Do you remember the 2009 swine flu pandemic, also referred to by the media as the H1N1 flu? I remember two things quite distinctly: As this flu crossed borders, infecting 700 million to 1.4 billion people — or 11 to 21 percent of the global population of 6.8 billion at the time — thankfully, the […]
By Stephanie York, JD, Hennes Communications Any government agency should prioritize communicating truthfully, transparently, quickly and effectively, using traditional media, social media, the agency’s website and any other methods available. A serious issue or crisis ups the ante on communications. That’s when stakeholders most need correct and timely information. That’s also when damaging misinformation and […]
From Sophie Maerowitz, writing for PR News… Yesterday (Oct. 31), White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki disclosed that she contracted COVID-19. In a statement posted to Twitter and published by the Associated Press, Psaki shared the circumstances of her positive COVID test result, as well as the actions she has taken since. The timing and content of Psaki’s […]
From Adrian J. Rivera, writing for The New York Times… Every so often, something so awful and senseless happens that it’s hard to fully absorb it. An apartment building collapses as residents sleep within. A movie star’s prop gun fires a real bullet on a film set, killing a young mother. A concert crowd morphs […]
By Stephanie York, JD, Hennes Communications Q: Why should a local school district, an independent or parochial school reach out to a crisis communications firm? A: Quick – What’s the single highest priority for a superintendent, head or board president? It’s not education. It’s safety. And just one part of that safety net is making […]
If your organization is grappling with conflicting thoughts about whether or not to mandate that all of your employees get vaccinated as a condition of employment, we urge you to carefully read the article below. Risk communications concerns itself with making risk comprehensible and relatable to other risks, how to pay appropriate respect to […]
From Rae Ringel, writing in the Harvard Business Review… Three days in the office, two working from home? Or two weeks in the office, then two at home (or some other, more alluring remote locale)? Everyone in all the time, like in 2019? These are some of the options leaders are considering as they grapple […]
From Karen Hao, writing in MIT Technology Review… In the run-up to the 2020 election, the most highly contested in US history, Facebook’s most popular pages for Christian and Black American content were being run by Eastern European troll farms. These pages were part of a larger network that collectively reached nearly half of all […]
By Howard Fencl/Hennes Communications Fact: The COVID-19 vaccine will make you glow in the dark. Fact: Migrants crossing the southern border are causing the latest U.S. outbreak. Fact: Dr. Anthony Fauci is covering up U.S. support of research that unleashed COVID. Fact is, none of these allegations are fact. They’re nonsense. And none of […]
By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications This article first appeared in the National Law Journal 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, […]