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 […]
By Bridget Johnson for Homeland Security Today ISIS roared onto the social media landscape not with a gruesome beheading, but with a fluffy kitten. The beheadings would be infamously broadcast by the terror group, leading to scattershot social media bans followed by new accounts created by terrorists and their loyalists to replace and augment the […]
Introduction by Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications Along with the sheer horror and heartbreaking tragedy of the massacre at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, we have been witness to an “information crisis,” in the words of Marc Duvoisin, editor in chief of the San Antonio Express-News. As the Washington Post pointed out in a […]
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 […]
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 Howard Fencl, Hennes Communications – Surprise! Fewer and fewer newspaper readers pore over editorial pages. So many fewer, that publishing giant Gannett recently announced a sweeping change in its approach to editorials, op-eds and political endorsements. Gannett says its readers don’t want to be told what to think – that editorial content is frequently the […]
By Howard Fencl, Hennes Communications… Public record requests can be complex and time-consuming. In many instances you need to drop everything you’re doing and launch a scavenger hunt through voluminous caches of electronic and paper records across a number of different departments to fulfill the reporter’s request. Yes, it may be frustrating, and it may […]
By Stephanie York, JD, Hennes Communications Quick – What’s the single highest priority for a superintendent, head of school or board president? It’s not education. It’s safety. And just one part of that safety net is making sure you have a pre-written crisis communications plan at your fingertips – or at least the phone number […]
There are scores of reasons why your district can be thrust into the news. Lawsuit…sports controversy…social media threats…active shooter… board-superintendent clash…criminal accusation…discrimination complaints…diversity issues…FERPA or HIPAA violation…fiscal mismanagement…protest… sexual misconduct…student newspaper story…challenging conversations… testing controversy…union grievance/strike… Suddenly, there’s a TV crew in the parking lot, your local newspaper is on Line One and the situation […]
Business leaders, who have increasingly waded into social issues like racial equity and voting rights, now face whether to comment on abortion. A recent New York Times story talks to corporate executives, business professors and others about that decision and provides examples of what some businesses are choosing to say. From Emma Goldberg, Alisha Haridasani […]