It’s a simple fact: Controversies today are tried in the Court of Public Opinion more often than the Court of Law. News now breaks first on social media, with traditional media sweeping Twitter, Facebook and YouTube for leads. Whether your organization is immersed in crisis or dealing with a hot-button issue, your news can quickly […]
Introduction by Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications The U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade leaves states to decide whether to restrict or ban abortion. And it leaves employers who provide healthcare plans deciding what to do and say about an issue that has separated the nation for decades. An attorney described it this […]
By Nicole Schuman for PR News The days of employee communication remaining internal are long gone. You’ll be prepared “if you always assume emails will be forwarded externally, internal town halls will be recorded and shared and updated policy handbooks will be leaked,” says Aubrey Quinn, COO, Clyde Group. That said, this week’s internal communication […]
By Andrew Byrd for PR News The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade June 24, ending federal constitutional protections for abortions. That decision, which caused immediate public protest, leaves abortion rights decisions to the states. As of today (June 27), nine states have outright abortion bans, including Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, South […]
By Jay Fitzgerald for Harvard Business School Working Knowledge After the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, Dick’s Sporting Goods’ CEO declared: “I don’t want to be part of the story anymore.” Two new case studies by George Riedel go inside the retailer’s decision to remove certain firearms from stores and restrict gun sales. Days […]
By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications Public officials, CEOs, executive directors and members of for-profit and non-profit boards have a responsibility to their stakeholders to plan for situations that will imperil life, limb and the ability of their organizations to fulfill their missions. In the immediate aftermath of a major incident, such as a mass shooting […]
By Howard Fencl, Hennes Communications Considering the Supreme Court’s epic Roe v. Wade decision, its decision to loosen New York City’s gun laws, unrelenting gun violence across the country and the prospect that the upcoming mid-term elections may result in the seizure of ballots in certain battleground states, emotions are likely to boil over and […]
By Tony Jaques, for Managing Outcomes – When a boatload of tourists was involved in an incident in remote northwest Australia, and more than a dozen were taken to hospital – some with serious injuries – you might expect the company to express shock and sympathy. But apparently not. According to media reports, the only statement […]
Crisis communications is a sub-specialty of the public relations profession that is designed to protect and defend an individual, company, or organization facing a public challenge to its reputation. Crisis communications is aimed at raising awareness of a specific type of threat, the magnitude, outcomes, and specific behaviors to adopt to reduce the threat. […]
By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications – Having a crisis consultant in your contact list is nice, but no substitute for having a plan in place. For companies and organizations, written, tested and ready-to-go business continuity plans should be part of doing business. Typically, those plans include the step-by-step operational response procedures to follow in the […]