Hennes Communications’ twice-a-month newsletter, Crisis Communications Today (formerly Crisis Management Today), keeps readers informed about the discipline of crisis management with authoritative commentary and best practices from breaking crises in the news.
We’re pleased the Greater Cleveland Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America recognized the newsletter with a gold “Rocks” award, which acknowledges outstanding public relations programs incorporating sound research, planning, execution and evaluation.
More than 8,000 past/present clients, colleagues, friends, lawyers, CEO’s, executive directors, administrators, fellow crisis management professionals and other executives receive our award-winning, now in its 24th year of publication.
Click the links below to browse past issues. For a complimentary subscription, email us. Please let us know who you are and what you do.
Crisis Management Today: 3/3/2026
TV – It’s Not Just for Humans Anymore; The Duty of “No”: The Rule of Law in 50 Films; The Mass Shooting Playbook; A Guide to Which AI to Use in the Agentic Era; When Newspapers Cut Book Coverage, Communities Lose More Than Reviews; How You Show Up In The Room Matters More Than You Think; Car-Salesman ‘Player’ Causes Car-Lot Crisis; Personal Brands Pose Growing Risk for Company Reputations, Warns the Corporate Governance Institute
Crisis Management Today: 2/2/2026
The Duty of “No”: The Rule of Law in 50 Films; The Mass Shooting Playbook; What Science Tells Us About Arguing With Your Father-in-Law; How to Lead Through Turbulence; Tom Brady Knew he Needed to Improve on TV. So he Channeled his ‘Quarterback’ Days; In the Age of Outrage, How to Decide to Take a Stand on an Issue; Alert! Crafting Evidence-Based Warning Messages With Generative AI
Crisis Management Today: 1/1/2026
The AI Era Is Here – How Schools Can Communicate About It Intelligently; Saying “No” in a Storm: What Lawyers and Crisis Advisors Share; To Market a Crisis Practice, Train the Attorneys in Crisis Communications; Campbell’s Leaked Audio Spells ‘Mmm! Mmm! Trouble!’; Oprah Changed What Media Could Be — and How Millions Live Their Lives; FBI Warns of Increase in AI-Generated Impersonations of Senior U.S. Officials; Why the CEO Must be Seen to Lead in a Crisis; Apple Puts Accessibility Center Stage in a Joyful Campus Musical
Crisis Management Today: 11/26/2025
The Mass Shooting Playbook; 7 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Crisis Communications Firm; PRovokeGlobal: Inside The Global Phenomenon Of The Chicago Bulls Brand; The Real Magic of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: Making It Disappear; In The Wake of Political Violence: What Your Nonprofit Needs to Know; How a Philly Mag Journalist Sued an Angry Facebook Commenter — and Won; Your Inspirational Messaging Is Making People Angry (Here’s What Works Instead); Faith-Based and Volunteer Partnership Resources
Crisis Management Today: 11/2/2025
Lessons From How Tylenol Is Dealing With Its Latest Reputational Splitting Headache; The Cracker Barrel Mess Isn’t Over Yet; Crisis Communications: Before, During, and After Disasters; The Psychology of Font Choice and Brand Personality; In The Wake of Political Violence: What Your Nonprofit Needs to Know; Words Matter: Focusing on ‘Profession’ and ‘Industry,’ Not ‘Member,’ as a Hack for Broader and Bigger Thinking for Boards and Association Leaders; What to Do When Your Company Outage Makes Headlines; Halligan–Bower Exchange Again Raises Confidentiality Issue; The Right Way to Decline a Media Opportunity and Preserve the Relationship; Emergency Managers and the Challenge of Finding Truth in Times of Crisis; How Many Baseballs are Used in an MLB Game is a Crazy Amount
Crisis Management Today: 9/18/2025
When Succession Becomes a Story: Why Communications Can Make or Break Leadership Transitions; The Skill Set That Got You Into the C-Suite Isn’t Necessarily the Skill Set You Need to Manage a Crisis; Philanthropy’s Trigger Words — and How to Make Your Message Clear; I Never Understood Our Data-Saturated Life Until a Hurricane Shut It Down; How Not to Handle a Cyberattack: The Worst Crisis Communications Failures; Hat Snatcher’s Statement Is Masterclass in Wrecking Own Rep; Restaurant’s Crisis Shows Importance of Facts; The CEO’s Role as Chief Storyteller; For Ohio Business Owners & Residents Only – Ohio Homeland Security Unveils New AI Suspicious Activity Reporting System; September is National Preparedness Month
Crisis Management Today: 7/21/2025
The Skill Set That Got You Into the C-Suite Isn’t Necessarily the Skill Set You Need to Manage a Crisis; When Crises Hit: A Blueprint for School Communications; Hennes Communications Again Ranked Among Top U.S. Crisis PR Firms by Chambers and Partners; Why Spin is the Enemy of Truthful Communication; How Air India CEO Crisis Response Exposed a Communication Secret; From Cyber to Strawberries: Why Marks & Spencer’s Viral Dessert Sandwich Highlights the Value of Crisis Comms in Restoring Consumer Trust; Cops Say False Narratives are Fueling Aggression; Fatal Fire Brings Assorted Comms Response; No Breaking News in your Sunday Print Newspaper? Here’s Why; The Rule of Law
Crisis Management Today: 6/19/2025
The Enduring Lessons of Scouting; The Rule of Law; When Symbolism Speaks: Strategic Messaging Behind King Charles’ Visit to Canada; The Right Way to Decline a Media Opportunity and Preserve the Relationship; In a Crisis, Leaders are Often Judged by Their Words; Power Failures Show Urgent Need for Resilience Strategy; Barbara Walters Didn’t Just Break Barriers. She Rewrote the Rules. Then She Did it Again; Crisis Communications: It’s Not Just Another Line on a Law Firm’s Website
Crisis Management Today: 5/28/2025
Tariffs, Tension and Talking Points: How to Communicate Without Picking a Side; The Rule of Law; 7 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Crisis Communications Firm; How Boards Can Navigate Crises in an Era of Upheaval; Branding a Viral Moment: The Complexities of Trademarks for Famous Phrases; When Making Your Pitch, Here’s What Journalists Value Most; How To Create High-Quality Videos On A Budget (Yes, it is Possible)
Crisis Management Today: 5/4/2025
Faced With Executive Orders, What Are Schools’ Marching Orders?; Speaking Out or Staying Silent: A Guide to Creating Communications Plans for Bar Associations (and other nonprofits); Know the Audience: Five Keys to Effective Communication; Your CEO Might Not Be Your Best Spokesperson. Here’s Who Journalists Actually Want to Hear From; Navigating Layoff Communication—With or Without a Plan; 5 Better Ways to Answer “Anything Else You’d Like to Add?” in Media Interviews; Branding a Viral Moment: The Complexities of Trademarks for Famous Phrases; How A Legal Communications Plan Can Strengthen A Litigation Strategy; Is There a Better Way to Fight Misinformation?; Hennes Communications CEO Named to Lawdragon Global 100 Leaders in Legal Strategy and Consulting in Recognition of His Work in the Field of Crisis Communications
Crisis Management Today: 4/5/2025
The ArtificiaI Intelligence Era Is Here – How Schools Can Communicate About It Intelligently; Speaking Out or Staying Silent: A Guide to Creating Communications Plans for Bar Associations (and other nonprofits); Crisis Communications: Before, During, and After Disasters; How to Leak to a Journalist; A Perspective on Communications and Cross-Department Collaboration; Battling the Waves: How a Crisis Communication Playbook Keeps Your Organization Afloat; How Much Could Your Next Crisis Cost?; The Death of Traditional PR and How Brands Can Win in a Changing Media Landscape; Consortium of State School Boards Associations Names Hennes Communications as Preferred Provider of Crisis Communications Services; If You Attended One of Our Seminars in the Last Few Years, We Can Help Arrange for You to Receive One Free Credit Hour Towards a Graduate Certificate in Crisis Communications
Crisis Management Today: 3/9/2025
The Skill Set That Got You Into the C-Suite Isn’t Necessarily the Skill Set You Need to Manage a Crisis; Speaking Out or Staying Silent: A Guide to Creating Communications Plans for Bar Associations (and other nonprofits); Does a CEO Op-Ed Serve Any Good Purpose in a Crisis?; The Communicator’s Role in an Anti-Expert Era; 5 PR Tips for Using Bluesky and RedNote; Should We Put Out a Statement?; Social Media and News Fact Sheet; Consortium of State School Boards Associations Names Hennes Communications as Preferred Provider of Crisis Communications Services; If You Attended One of Our Seminars in the Last Few Years, We Can Help Arrange for You to Receive One Free Credit Hour Towards a Graduate Certificate in Crisis Communications
Crisis Management Today: 2/10/2025
Faced With Executive Orders, What Are Schools’ Marching Orders?; Today’s Lesson for Schools in Crisis: Make Communication Part of the Solution; During N.F.L. Games, Going to Commercial Requires Its Own Playbook; Anxious Celebrities Offered ‘Cancel Culture’ Insurance; Cyberattacks: Must-Haves for a Crisis Communication Plan; AI and Misinformation: A Major PR Problem; Super Bowl Brands Embrace Multi-Platform Campaigns; The Elements of Meaningful Conversation: Fewer Mirror Questions, More Follow-Ups; How TikTok’s Disappearance Became a PR Masterclass; How American Airlines Communicated Through Tragedy
Crisis Management Today: 1/19/2025
Blake Lively Lawsuit Highlights Distinction Between Crisis Communications and Traditional PR; Crisis Communications Lessons from the Tragic Assassination of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO; Los Angeles Mayor Stays Silent When Asked About Handling of Fires; Lively-Baldoni Feud Highlights Crisis Comms; Why CEOs Must Stop Hiding Behind Scripts During a Crisis; Confronting Misinformation During Disasters: Strategies for Crisis Communicators; Boeing’s Seemingly Endless Reputational Quagmire; Kellogg’s Food Dye Controversy: A PR Misstep with Lasting Consequences; How to Counter a Deepfake Narrative With Crisis Communications
Crisis Management Today: 12/15/2024
Crisis Communications Lessons from the Tragic Assassination of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO; Could You Pass the Crucial “Sit-Next-To-On-A-Bus” Test?; Develop Reactive Messaging Before a Crisis Hits; How Can PR Protect Companies During a Cyberattack?; A Profile of the Top-Ranked Podcasts in the U.S.
Crisis Management Today: 11/24/2024
How Companies Should Weigh In on a Controversy; Reclaiming Authenticity in the Era of Misinformation: 5 PR Lessons from “Wicked”; Many Americans Find Value in Getting News on Social Media, but Concerns About Inaccuracy Have Risen; Most Top-Ranked Podcasts Bring On Guests; Navigating the Trade-Show Noise; Managing a Healthcare Crisis; 5 Facts About How Americans Use Facebook, Two Decades After its Launch; Attend our Flagship CLE Program, “Effective Crisis Communications for Attorneys & Their Clients: Because the Court of Public Opinion is Always in Session” via Zoom on December 9 from 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm Eastern Time
Crisis Management Today: 11/1/2024
A Crisis Communications Toolkit for Before, During and After Election Day; Should We Put Out a Statement?; Fraud Alert: How to Silence Your Inner Imposter; The Value of Crisis Communications; About Half of TikTok Users Under 30 Say They Use it to Keep Up With Politics, News; Podcasts as a Source of News and Information; How Powerful Women Leaders Communicate; Consortium of State School Boards Associations Names Hennes Communications as Preferred Provider of Crisis Communications Services
Crisis Management Today: 10/15/2024
The Bottomless News Hole and You; Why Media Literacy is Key in the Age of Deepfakes; 20 Crisis Management Quotes Every PR Team Should Live By; Cyber Companies Need a Best Practice Approach to Major Incidents; Why Confidence Matters in a CEO; Confronting Misinformation During Disasters: Strategies for Crisis Communicators; A Guide to Being a Great Panelist; A PR Pro’s Guide To Requesting Corrections from Journalists
Crisis Management Today: 10/1/2024
Confronting an Online Bully: How One CEO Used Old-School Communication to Combat Misinformation; Lessons in Digital Crisis Communications from the California Pizza Kitchen Incident; A Rock Star’s Mystery Baby Offers a Lesson in Crisis Communication; The Case for Longer Pitches; AI Copywriting: Top 4 Tools and Best Ways to Use Them; Don’t Make This Common Networking Mistake; Mastering the Art of Moderating a Panel; Understanding the Margin of Error
Crisis Management Today: 9/15/2024
Boar’s Head’s Cold Response to a Deadly Recall: Where’s the Heart in Corporate Apologies?; Mastering Public Speaking: A Guide to Confidence and Connection; This Is Not an Op-ed: Editorial Alternatives for Thought Leadership; Lessons in Social Media – Preparing Kids and Community Leaders for Disasters; Reimagining Newsjacking for a New Era of Journalism and Media Relations; Understanding Crisis Management in the Legal Sector Today; The Board’s Duty of Foresight in The Age of Polycrisis; Ahh-OOO-gah !!! A Loud Warning From the Past About Living With Cars
Crisis Management Today: 8/25/2024
Lessons From a School on Handling a Social Media Crisis; Hennes Communications Listed Among Top Advisors to the Legal Profession; BBC Paris 2024 Olympic Games Closing Montage; How Anyone Can Become a Better Public Speaker; How to Gracefully Decline a Networking Request; Hotels in Crisis – Are They Ready to Communicate in an Emergency?; Crisis of Communication: The Secret Service’s Leadership Failure; Top Tips: How to Navigate a Negative Viral Trend; Explainer: What is an Annual Report?; CrowdStrike’s President Accepting the ‘Most Epic Fail’ Award in Person was a PR Masterclass, Experts Say
Crisis Management Today: 7/24/2024
The Role of School Boards and Superintendents in Crisis Management; Hennes Communications Listed Among Top Advisors to the Legal Profession; How America Turned Stories Into Weapons of War; Online Rumors Sparked by the Trump Assassination Attempt Spread Rapidly, on Both Ends of the Political Spectrum; Forget Storytelling. CEOs Must Learn Better Crisis Communication; Media Relations 101: Talking to Journalists at Events; It’s Time Corporates Stopped Trying to be Political Players; ‘No Comment’ Is Morphing Into No Response; Communicating Purpose in the Age of Polarization
Crisis Management Today: 6/9/2024
Speaking Out or Staying Silent: A Guide to Creating Communications Plans for Bars; Hennes Communications and Ohio University Partnership Allows Seminar Participants to Earn Graduate Certificate Credit; Leading in a Crisis: Committing to Clear Crisis Communications; Three Must-Haves in Your Next Press Release; 3 Ways to Clearly Communicate Your Company’s Strategy; What’s With the Rise of “Fact-Based Journalism”?; 5 Reasons It’s Time to “Unlike” Social Media for Risk Management
Crisis Management Today: 5/19/2024
Hennes Communications and Ohio University Partnership Allows Seminar Participants to Earn Graduate Certificate Credit; Protecting Reputation: Steps to Take in the Face of Leaked Internal Memos; Sanitizing Bad News; Realistic Preparedness; The Evolution of Crisis Communications in Banking; This Is What AI Thinks People Look Like Based on Their Job
Crisis Management Today: 5/1/2024
Defending Against Conspiracies Through Storytelling; Lawyers Should Not Rewrite Crisis Communications; How to Become a Supercommunicator; True Thought Leaders Don’t Just Make Noise: They Drive Change; Excellence in Operational Resilience – How to Lead, Follow and Guide the Way; Preparing Your Team for a Year of Intense Political Polarization; The Cloud Under the Sea; Cereal for Dinner? Uhhhh…We Don’t Think So
Crisis Management Today: 4/15/2024
How Public Schools Can Survive a First Amendment Audit; The O.J. Simpson Trial And Social Media – And How Courtrooms Haven’t Been The Same Since; Crisis at Kellogg’s: CEO Offers ‘Cereal for Dinner’ Economic Advice; N.Y.P.D. Officials Deploy Aggressive Use of Force (on Social Media); Mitigating the Culture-Clash in M&A; When Crisis Communications Requires Silence, Not Action; How Ozempic Turned a 1970s Hit Into an Inescapable Jingle
Crisis Management Today: 4/1/2024
Today’s Lesson for Schools: Crisis Communications as a Solution; Unveiling the Unseen: Navigating the Ever-Evolving World of Local TV News; The British Royal Family Learns That if You Don’t Fill an Information Vacuum, Someone Else Will; Russian Group Spread Disinformation About Princess of Wales, Experts Say; Oh, Ohtani! Gambling Scandal Has High Comms Stakes; Steve Jobs’s Nervousness Before His First TV Interview 46 Years Ago, Proves Even Geniuses Have to Start Somewhere
Crisis Management Today: 3/8/2024
Swift’s Billion-Dollar Beat: Eras Tour Shakes Up Global Economy; First Amendment Freak Out: How Public Employees Can Survive a First Amendment Audit; With Elections Looming Worldwide, Here’s How to Identify and Investigate AI Audio Deepfakes; How to Find the Best Cities to Watch the Solar Eclipse; Optimize Leadership Q&A In Town Halls To Engage And Build Employee Trust; Listening to Stakeholders Doesn’t Just Build Trust – It Protects Reputation; Between Headlines and Punchlines: Journalistic Role Performance in Western News Satire
Crisis Management Today: 2/21/2024
The Best 2024 Super Bowl Ads & How to ‘Write Tight’; It’s Time to Curtail “Horse Race” Coverage of Elections: What You Can Do; Why CEOs Botch Media Interviews—and Ways You Can Help Them; An Influencer Evolution, Starring the NFL (Taylor’s Version); Protecting Reputation: Steps to Take in the Face of Leaked Internal Memos; How AI Deepfakes Threaten the 2024 Elections; ‘The Voice We Woke Up To’: Bob Edwards, Longtime ‘Morning Edition’ Host, Dies at 76
Crisis Management Today: 2/01/2024
Want to Survive Your Next Crisis? Have a Plan; When Legal and Communications Collide: Making the Right Choice; Is the CEO Really Your Best Crisis Spokesperson?; Are Social Media Apps ‘Dangerous Products’ ?; Who Created the Alphabet?; The Persistent Pandemic: Messaging in the Age of COVID-19; Tribute to a Titan: Remembering Richard Levick, Visionary in Crisis Communications
Crisis Management Today: 1/20/2024
Why ‘Off the Record’ is a High-Wire Act Best Avoided; Call of Duty: Managing Mobile Texts & Tweets with Transparency – a Guide for Government Officials; Does the Boss Need to Weigh In on the War in the Middle East?; A General Counsel Provides Counsel on Crisis Communications; A Resolution for Crisis Communicators: Banish Clichés; So, You’re Testifying on Capitol Hill; 10 Tips to Craft Compelling Pitches in a Skeptical Media World; An Ex-FBI Agent Explains How to Recognize the Power Dynamics in a Room; Interested in Crisis Communications? If You Attended One of Our Seminars in the Last Few Years, We Can Help Arrange for You to Receive One Free Credit Hour Towards a Graduate Certificate in Crisis Comm’s.
Crisis Management Today: 1/1/2024
A Clean Water/Sewage Utility Offers a Season’s Greeting That Even Hallmark Would Envy; Is This the Best TV Ad of the Year?; The Most Scathing Book Reviews of 2023; The 10 Biggest Stories Of 2023 That Say The Future Is Here; The Top Songs, Artists, Podcasts and Listening Trends of 2023 Revealed; The 10 Most Innovative Companies That Responded to Crisis in 2023; A Look Back: 2023 Biggest Fraud Trends; What Succession Gets Right (and Wrong) about Communications