By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications 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/X, Facebook and YouTube for leads. Whether your organization is immersed in crisis or dealing with a hot-button […]
By Seth Chalmers, writing for The Stanford Social Innovation Review… “Should we put out a statement?” If you’re a nonprofit communications professional, you’ve heard that question many times, often the day after some major news event. Since the October 7 massacres in Israel and subsequent war in Gaza, many nonprofits have struggled to decide whether […]
From The Pew Research Center… Digital sources have become an important part of Americans’ news diets – with social media playing a crucial role, particularly for younger adults. Overall, just over half of U.S. adults (54%) say they at least sometimes get news from social media, up slightly compared with the last few years. News consumption on […]
In this post-election climate, the expectations placed upon corporations, as well as healthcare, education and social service organizations, are more complex than ever. Navigating societal issues, especially hot-button topics like gender, climate and racial discrimination, is no longer optional—it’s an expectation. This responsibility grows exponentially with the reelection of Donald Trump, as organizations may face […]
By Colleen McClain for Pew Research Center TikTok has been so popular among young Americans that presidential campaigns are using it for voter outreach. And some young adults are using TikTok to keep up with politics or get news, a Pew Research Center survey shows. TikTok has been so popular among young Americans that presidential campaigns are using it for voter outreach. […]
By Michelle M. Johnson for PRNews On July 22, Kimberly Cheatle, director of the United States Secret Service, faced a reputational crisis. Testifying before Congress about the assassination attempt on former President Trump, her opaque answers raised doubts about her leadership capacity. By July 23, her 30-year career with the agency was over. Cheatle is not […]
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 our good friend in Australia, Tony Jaques, at Issues Outcome. Check out his website here. With universities tying themselves in knots over free speech and campus protests, and corporations struggling to decide what to say on high profile issues, it’s time to revisit whether management should speak up or shut up. Despite the headlines […]
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. […]
NOTE: The original title of this article is Defending Against Courtroom Conspiracies Through Storytelling. We took the editorial liberty of removing “Courtroom” from the title of this introduction in the hope that non-attorneys will read this, too. Introduction by Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications In 2024, misinformation continues to be a pervasive force across all sectors […]