By Allison Braley for PRNews The role of a communications professional in pop culture is often reduced to a “fixer” who goes as far as hiding bodies (see: “Scandal“), a glorified party planner (see: “Sex and the City” or “The Hills”), or most commonly, a nameless, harried, go-between shouting “no comment” into an open mic. If […]
By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications Cancel culture is a movement aimed at ostracizing, discrediting and “deplatforming” individuals and companies for behavior or transgressions deemed offensive. According to Wikipedia, cancel culture is a controversial topic that exacerbates political polarization, with arguments from two opposing sides. One side argues that it gives a voice to marginalized communities […]
by Thom Fladung, Hennes Communications Whether in-person or virtual, the kids are still in school. For the moment, however, this will be a class for the adults – and class is now in session on how to handle a social media crisis. On a Labor Day Sunday some time ago, the leadership team at a school […]
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 Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications The Academy Awards ceremony is one of the most high-profile events in the entertainment industry, drawing millions of viewers from around the world. With a large audience and so many moving parts, it’s no surprise that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has created a “crisis team” to […]
By David Ball for O’Dwyer’s As business culture changes as a result of both the pandemic and generational shifts, employees can easily act in ways that, while acceptable some years back, are wholly unacceptable today. When that happens, the C-suite must act quickly to prevent reputational damage. The Wall Street Journal recently wrote of the firing of […]
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 John Guilfoil for PRNEWS [Editor’s Note: One of many things under scrutiny in the killing of Tyre Nichols is how the Memphis Police Department (MPD) communicated in its initial press release and police report. Critics charge there were gross mischaracterizations of what occurred. Moreover, they contrast with bodycam video and other footage of Mr. Nichols’s beating. We asked communicator […]
By Richard Levick Speaking with journalists, shareholders, customers and stakeholders is easy when the going is good. As the old saying goes, “We are all capitalists on the way up but socialists on the way down.” But when things turn bad? Communication suddenly becomes much more challenging. As another old saying goes, “The gods of […]
By Thom Weidlich for PRCG | Haggerty LLC The tragic film-set shooting involving Alec Baldwin is back in the news because prosecutors say they will criminally charge the actor in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. An incident connected to the news raises a crisis question: When is it okay to give reporters the slip? […]