Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declined to respond to criticism on Wednesday of the city’s handling of a series of wildfires that have left at least five people dead and thousands of structures burned. Bass was on a diplomatic trip to Ghana as flames tore through the Pacific Palisades and left on Saturday. Here, in […]
By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications This article highlights the critical distinction between true crisis communications and the practice of traditional public relations, especially in light of recent allegations of unethical tactics in the Blake Lively lawsuit. Crisis communications is portrayed as a principled discipline rooted in truth-telling, accountability and proactive problem-solving, unlike traditional PR, which […]
This article ran first in Crain’s Cleveland Business on December 19, 2024. By Bruce Hennes, CEO, Hennes Communications This article examines the crisis communications lessons from the tragic assassination of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO, Brian Thompson. It critiques the company’s public statements and explores the broader ethical and reputational challenges facing UnitedHealthcare in light of this tragedy […]
We are pleased to announce that Hennes Communications has been named Preferred Provider of Crisis Communications Services for the Consortium of State School Boards Associations (COSSBA). COSSBA represents 25 state school boards associations across the United States, serving more than 7,700 local public school districts. About Hennes Communications Founded in 1989, Hennes Communications is one […]
By Thom Fladung, Hennes Communications Whether in-person or virtual, the kids are still in school. For the moment, however, this will be a class for the adults – and class is now in session on how to handle a social media crisis. On a Labor Day Sunday some time ago, the leadership team at a school that […]
Introduction by Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications Ensuring the safety of students is a collective responsibility, with school board members and superintendents playing a crucial role. In today’s world, where school safety is increasingly at stake, it is imperative that these leaders receive adequate crisis management training and share lessons learned to effectively address the challenges […]
Hennes Communications has been named among the top crisis PR firms in the U.S. by Chambers and Partners, the leading independent professional legal research company in the world. Hennes Communications is one of only 18 communication consulting firms included in the list for 2024. Bruce Hennes, chief executive officer, also received an individual ranking by […]
From The Conversation… In the immediate hours after the assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump on July 13, 2024, social media users posted the same videos, images and eyewitness accounts but used them as evidence for different rumors or theories that aligned with their political preferences. Among the deluge of rumors, one TikTok creator narrated […]
Why ‘meaning-making’ matters In every crisis, it is essential that government and public sector leaders provide a compelling story. A good crisis narrative teaches the public about the realities of the predicament. It conveys what leaders know, do not know and cannot know, and what they are doing to figure out as much as possible. […]
From our colleague, Annie Searle… Like practitioners in other disciplines that continue to evolve in a complex technological world, the maturity of risk managers varies widely. In recovering from the 2008 financial crisis, we’ve seen corporate managers rebrand themselves into this field or get promoted into it without necessarily understanding risk frameworks or methodologies. There […]