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…
Tag: strategic communications (page 12)
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…
Is Anyone Really Surprised?
Best result in Crisis PR? No story. Next best: Making it less painful. Recently, a group of people was sitting around a table for an informal chat. The topic du jour: Is…
Trends, the Media & Making the Most of It
Journalists love to find trends. This is an opportunity for you. Trends are everywhere. The more we look for them, the more we see. It’s a constant ebb and flow, and…
No Facts? No Problem. Just Speculate.
Journalists call them “thumb-suckers.” Short on facts for a story? No problem. Rumors and speculation are fine. You don’t even need to be accurate. If events ultimately turn out differently, blame the…
The Fantasy of Rationality
Symbols trump facts every time. Since we emerged from the intellectually impoverished Dark Ages, philosophers and economists have been trying to make people fit into neat boxes prescribed by universal and predictable…
It’s Not How Much You Say. It’s How Well.
If you do your job well, no one sees all the work behind the words. One hundred and fifty years ago in the midst of our nation’s Civil War, prominent politician, diplomat,…
Just a Little Bit Pregnant
Hubris has a very high cost. The higher people are in business or social circles, the more they believe they can get away with it. It’s hubris, writ large. When Scott London,…