small-logo
Need help now? Call 216.321.7774

A Very Brief Primer on Repentance and Apologies, Genuine and Not

In the last issue of Crisis Management Today, we offered “The Basics of Saying ‘I’m Sorry’” with reference to Peter Sandman.  You can find those basics below. But in this issue, we introduce another way of looking at apology, this time from Rabbi Richard Block, who writes: Genuine repentance has 3 basic components: recognizing and […]


As Profanity-Laced Video Leaks, Outlets Grapple with Trump’s Language

From Poynter: Open microphones have often left politicians and other powerful people red-faced and apologetic. But The Washington Post’s decision Friday to publish a video of Donald Trump explaining how he kissed and groped women pushed some newsrooms to dance around the graphic language while others took it public unedited. Because Trump’s attitude toward women […]


Trick or Treat! Outrage Masquerades as Principles in Crisis Management

Why are organizations punished in the Court of Public Opinion for violating ethical principles when they have not broken any law? Dr. Peter Sandman, a preeminent risk communications expert, says when an issue sparks outrage (and we see plenty of organizations pilloried in social media by outraged trolls every day), society becomes desperate to blame […]


Responding to Reports of Sexual Abuse of Students, Past and Present – The Convergence of Attitudes and Expectations

From our friend and colleague, David Wolowitz… Recently, the responses of independent schools to reports of past abuse of students by faculty have received intense scrutiny by the news media, social media, survivors, victim’s lawyers and alumni. Why is this happening now? I believe we are in a period of cultural change in which there […]


Even Hall of Famers Can Fumble Crisis Management

[By Thom Fladung, Hennes Communications] Imagine this: You’re running a meeting and you have information that will affect everyone else in that meeting negatively. You decide not to share any of that information during the meeting and prattle on as if nothing is about to change or happen. Except everybody in the conference room finds out […]


Ryan Lochte’s Apology is Clear: He Doesn’t Realize What He Has Done Wrong

Let’s say you’re a guest in someone’s home. You and your friends are invited to a dinner at which the hosts, though cash-strapped, do their level best to put out a nice spread and show you hospitality. You over-serve yourself on their liquor, stagger around drunk and tear a picture off the wall, then unzip […]


Colleges Rarely Apologize for Mishandling Rape Cases, and Survivors are Sick of It

On Monday morning, activist Wagatwe Wanjuki lit a Tufts University sweatshirt on fire, and broadcast it on Facebook Live. She did so in protest, calling on schools like Tufts to apologize for mishandling sexual assault cases. “If they care about ending rape on campus, if they care about justice, then they should be able to do […]


How Live-Streaming a Police Shooting Could Change the Narrative

When a police officer fatally shot her fiancé, Philando Castile, during a traffic stop in a Minnesota suburb, Diamond Reynolds responded the way she knew how: She calmly live-streamed the aftermath of the event, reciting on Facebook Live what happened in the car seat next to her. In doing so, she punctuated a national paradigm […]


The Dividend of Crisis (Yes, There Is One)

[By Nora Jacobs, Hennes Communications] If you want a recent wonderful example of an organization doing well by doing good, you need look no further than West Virginia’s Greenbrier Resort, which was at the epicenter of that state’s recent historic flooding. West Virginia was declared a federal disaster area after torrential rains swept through the […]


The Social Media Uproar Over Harambe’s Death

Cameron Knight figured Saturday would be a good day to catch up on some weekend work. Barring any breaking news, he planned to finish a Memorial Day story and a piece on the anniversary of the Beverly Hills Supper Club fire. As the breaking news reporter at The Cincinnati Enquirer worked, he listened to the […]


Contact Us

Your name Organization name Describe your situation Your phone number Your email address
Leave this as it is