In the world of crisis communications, things can change in an instant. One minute you’re dealing with a small issue, and the next, you’re facing a full-blown PR crisis. That’s why it’s…
Tag: Damage mitigation
The End of Belief?
Little room for hope? Less for trust? You need Crisis PR more than ever. Is it any wonder an entire generation stopped believing? They wanted to have faith. To wit, their embrace…
Never Having to Say You’re Guilty
When the worst happens, you’re on your own. You must define the terms of the debate. The public never really trusted Wall Street. That relationship went from bad to worse in the economic…
Truth Is What You Believe It Is
There’s no Truth with a capital “T.” Just perception and what you’re most comfortable with. When the Nobel committee announced the winners of its prize for economics this year, people were left…
The Underbelly of Finessing Reputation
“Can’t fool all the people all the time. But with the internet, you can get close.” Since time immemorial, there have been those who polished the reputations of others. Plato did it…
Motives vs. Merits
You won’t hear much about the merits. You win or lose on an emotional level. NIMBYism. Not a new concept. Not always straightforward, either. The truth is, We see what we want…
No Mercy (from the Media)
The best solution is when everybody goes home happy. “Give us a break.” Even the first time I heard it, I couldn’t believe it. I was still a journalist — the head…
Trains, Planes & Media Mistakes
Rumors and media mistakes now speed around the world in mere seconds. In 1873, Jules Verne captivated readers with “Around the World in 80 Days,” a saga of steamships and trains. In…
Election Edition: Wishful Thinking & Talking Heads
The best way to disappoint a client is to over-promise and under-deliver. The two most influential newspapers in the country — the New York Times and Wall Street Journal — couldn’t…
Proving a Negative
Calculating success can mean avoiding negative attention. “What’s the value of a negative story that’s never published?” We’ve touched on this before. But it’s worth revisiting because it’s the essence of Crisis…