Violate the public trust, and the public feels violated. Rolling Stone and Brian Williams are only the latest. Sadly, there’s a long and inglorious history of media stumbles. Sometimes journalists don’t verify…
Category: Current Event Analysis (page 4)
Different Prisms
A recent Vatican report about U.S. nuns was most significant for what it didn’t say. It didn’t condemn the nuns for “radical” and “feminist” ideas as expected when the investigation began in…
On Second Thought
History is often revised. But seldom in short term. Time softens the sharp edges. As memories fade, events are reinterpreted. Sometimes to reflect new evidence. More often to better fit with what…
Fringe & Mainstream
In a crisis, change is fast. Be prepared for the worst. “I aimed at the public’s heart, and … hit it in the stomach.” ~ Upton Sinclair, American socialist and novelist Sinclair…
Politicizing Ebola
Fear is a powerful emotion. Use it well, and you win. A crisis is a terrible thing to waste. Ebola is the just latest. Watch the politicians. Both parties are guilty…
Too Little. Too Late.
Get out in front of a crisis. Or the other side controls the story. When is “at all cost” too high a cost? The NFL is finding out. So are other…
Fiction & Fact
Job #1 in Crisis PR – Separate fiction from fact. We’re all better for having read, seen, or told fiction. Whatever can be imagined, can be. Think Jules Verne, J.R.R. Tolkein, and…
Demographics & Big Data
As privacy erodes, potential threats to your reputation multiply. Demographics will define the future. Big Data is the future. The first concept is undisputed. The second depends on who you talk…
Savage Magic
First, define your audience. Convince them and you win. The British magazine The Economist is fond of phrases like “the savage magic of capitalism.” It’s also fond of describing itself as “Liberal”…
Change Happens. Deal With It.
Resisting change is useless. Accept it or put the client at risk. It seems like only yesterday — and a lifetime ago — that the computer revolution began. In the 1970s, “dumb”…