Hennes Communications has been named among the top crisis PR firms in the U.S. by Chambers and Partners, the leading independent professional legal research company in the world. Hennes Communications is one of only 18 communication consulting firms included in the list for 2024. Bruce Hennes, chief executive officer, also received an individual ranking by […]
From our good friend in Australia, Tony Jaques, at Issues Outcome. Check out his website here. With universities tying themselves in knots over free speech and campus protests, and corporations struggling to decide what to say on high profile issues, it’s time to revisit whether management should speak up or shut up. Despite the headlines […]
Why ‘meaning-making’ matters In every crisis, it is essential that government and public sector leaders provide a compelling story. A good crisis narrative teaches the public about the realities of the predicament. It conveys what leaders know, do not know and cannot know, and what they are doing to figure out as much as possible. […]
NOTE: The original title of this article is Defending Against Courtroom Conspiracies Through Storytelling. We took the editorial liberty of removing “Courtroom” from the title of this introduction in the hope that non-attorneys will read this, too. Introduction by Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications In 2024, misinformation continues to be a pervasive force across all sectors […]
The Poynter Institute for Media Studies is a non-profit journalism school and research organization in St. Petersburg, Florida. The school is the owner of the Tampa Bay Times newspaper and the International Fact-Checking Network. It also operates PolitiFact. In journalism circles, Poynter is considered to be a trusted source. So when Poynter publishes a headline like this it’s a […]
By Rowan Philip for NiemanLab In October 2023, an AI-synthesized impersonation of the voice of an opposition leader helped swing the election in Slovakia to a pro-Russia candidate. Another AI audio fake was layered onto a real video clip of a candidate in Pakistan, supposedly calling on voters to boycott the general election in February 2024. Ahead of […]
By Lynn Neary, for NPR… Bob Edwards, the veteran broadcaster and longtime host of Morning Edition who left an indelible mark on NPR’s sound, has died. He was 76 years old. NPR’s Susan Stamberg says Edwards’ voice became part of the morning routine for millions of Americans. “He was Bob Edwards of Morning Edition for 24 1/2 years, and […]
By Rehan Mirza, The Journalist’s Resource Last month, a robocall impersonating U.S. President Joe Biden went out to New Hampshire voters, advising them not to vote in the state’s presidential primary election. The voice, generated by artificial intelligence, sounded quite real. “Save your vote for the November election,” the voice stated, falsely asserting that a vote in […]
It’s Time to Curtail “Horse Race” Coverage of Elections: What You Can Do Introduction by Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications Dear Valued Readers, In our continuous effort to enrich your understanding of the ever-evolving landscape of crisis communications, we bring to your attention a significant piece published by the prestigious Harvard Kennedy School and the Shorenstein […]
From our friend and colleague in Australia, Tony Jaques… Who should speak in a crisis? That deceptively simple question can help determine whether an organisation’s reputation is enhanced or irreparably damaged when things go wrong. And behind that question are two common errors in crisis management. The first error is the idea that “speaking with one voice” […]