by Howard Fencl, Hennes Communications Headlines tell your story. Well, good headlines do. Sometimes, because of the arcane vagaries of the English language, a headline can convey eye-opening meanings you never intended. There’s a classic example in which this innocent sentiment LET’S EAT, GRANDMA! becomes something quite different, and something quite sinister, when the comma […]
By Bruce Hennes & Nora Jacobs, Hennes Communications A CEO, executive director, bar association president or other business executive has to apologize or speak about something very important. The stakes are high – and the apology is going to have to be done using Zoom or another virtual platform. Under any circumstance, delivering an effective […]
By Linda Varrell for Mainebiz Over the past year, I’ve received twice as many calls for crisis communications than in the 15 years since I launched Broadreach Public Relations. And none of them had anything to do with COVID. In some of the cases, organizations were already in the throes of Def Con One, worst-case […]
By Anne Green for O’Dwyers In May of 2010, BP’s then-CEO uttered what must’ve become one of the most infamous phrases in the annals of crisis communications: “There is no one who wants this over more than I do. I would like my life back.” The leader in question, Tony Hayward, already had a reputation […]
By Liz Janisse, Rachel Rosenblatt for O’Dwyers We’re living in the era of the documentary, a time when [insert favorite streaming service here] has the scoop on cults, tigers, murder mysteries and even threats to corporate reputations. Today, there are more than 50 different streaming services in North America alone, all competing for subscribers and […]
By Nicole Schuman for PRNEWS What does it mean to agree to ‘off the record’? “Off the record” is a phrase that can be used by a journalist or communicator during an interview or conversation. Some communicators or sources may wish to remain anonymous, but provide useful information to a member of the media. Some […]
By Arthur Solomon for PRNEWS There’s a maxim that says the cover-up is worse than the crime. Another variation is the cover-up makes the crime worse. A prime example is the cover-up of the break-in at Democratic National Committee HQ at the Watergate Hotel, in 1972. In our business, unsuccessful cover-ups have brought many entities massive negative media coverage. Years […]
By Kathryn Janicek for Harvard Business Review Alongside meetings, job interviews, and even social events, layoffs have entered the virtual era. It was, after all, inevitable. In a recent McKinsey study, 35 percent of respondents reported that they were able to work remotely full time. Logic follows that when someone works remotely, they can be laid off remotely, too. […]
By John Guilfoil for PRNEWS [Editor’s Note: One of many things under scrutiny in the killing of Tyre Nichols is how the Memphis Police Department (MPD) communicated in its initial press release and police report. Critics charge there were gross mischaracterizations of what occurred. Moreover, they contrast with bodycam video and other footage of Mr. Nichols’s beating. We asked communicator […]
By Howard Fencl, Hennes Communications Use gruesome video on the air or not? Name a suicide victim? Grant a silhouette interview and anonymity to a nervous informant? I found myself smack in the middle of innumerable heated ethical discussions – and sometimes knock-down-drag-out fights — over ethical issues throughout my 20-plus years managing TV newsrooms. […]