By Thom Fladung, Hennes Communications At Hennes Communications, we often tell clients that they have an attorney for the Court of Law. But they have us for the Court of Public Opinion. And those two courts often require different – and at times conflicting – strategies. Attorneys have persuasive arguments for tailoring a strategy completely around […]
By Dustin Siggins for PRNews “Get the [heck] out of my face when I’m working….” That’s what CBS Miami sports reporter Samantha Rivera told the world after she now-famously stiff-armed a sports fan who tried to shove his way into her video report about the Stanley Cup. Over 12 million people have watched her keep stride as she […]
By Arthur Solomon for PRNews The indictment of former president Donald Trump provides a lesson that young PR pros should remember: Like other powerful CEOs of Boeing, BP and Wells Fargo, to name a few, all the best PR minds combined can’t save a person or entity from the judgments of the public or law […]
By Seth Arenstein for PRNEWS It’s a popular refrain the PR pro hears from executives: I’m an expert on XYZ topic. So, why doesn’t the media call me for interviews? One reason is that the reliable source club is small. Anecdotally, it seems journalists have a cadre of go-to sources they tap consistently, especially when covering breaking-news stories. To some extent, […]
By Howard Fencl, Hennes Communications It’s everywhere. You check your Twitter feed. Read a news website or the daily paper. Turn on Nightly News or NPR. It’s an unrelenting and punishing tidal wave of political news pounding us over and over again. The slightest new wrinkle in a political drama, the smallest blip on Wall […]
By Katie Paine for PRNEWS Anyone who has studied crisis communications knows, “he/she who speaks first owns the narrative.” Once bad news breaks, whether it is a self-inflicted crisis, accident or natural disaster, there’s a sequence that all crises follow. Something happens, the news media finds out about it and starts asking questions, and whoever […]
By Charles Gary for Police Mag Less than a month into her job as director of public information, Capt. Nancy Demme of the Montgomery County (Md.) Police Department was looking forward to attending a media training program in neighboring Arlington. Demme never got to attend a single session. Instead, a deadly shooting spree began, and—ready […]
By Bruce Hennes & Nora Jacobs, Hennes Communications A CEO, executive director, bar association president or other business executive has to apologize or speak about something very important. The stakes are high – and the apology is going to have to be done using Zoom or another virtual platform. Under any circumstance, delivering an effective […]
By Nicole Schuman for PRNEWS What does it mean to agree to ‘off the record’? “Off the record” is a phrase that can be used by a journalist or communicator during an interview or conversation. Some communicators or sources may wish to remain anonymous, but provide useful information to a member of the media. Some […]
By Howard Fencl, Hennes Communications Use gruesome video on the air or not? Name a suicide victim? Grant a silhouette interview and anonymity to a nervous informant? I found myself smack in the middle of innumerable heated ethical discussions – and sometimes knock-down-drag-out fights — over ethical issues throughout my 20-plus years managing TV newsrooms. […]