After the 2001 anthrax attacks – when white powder in envelopes sparked widespread panic – the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention created a 450-page manual outlining how U.S. leaders should talk to the public during crises. The CDC guidebook, with “Be first. Be right. Be credible.” on the front cover was developed by the […]
Written by Peter Sandman, this was written at the request of the Sunday Times of London for its March 15, 2020 edition – but not published. Nearly every journalist who contacts me about the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic wants to talk about panic. I usually ask the reporter, “Do you know anyone personally who’s panicking?” The […]
By Ed Yong, writing for The Atlantic: Three months ago, no one knew that SARS-CoV-2 existed. Now the virus has spread to almost every country, infecting at least 446,000 people whom we know about, and many more whom we do not. It has crashed economies and broken health-care systems, filled hospitals and emptied public spaces. […]
By Howard Fencl, Hennes Communications The only thing certain about COVID-19 is uncertainty. That’s the primary challenge facing communicators as coronavirus clusters bloom and fatalities mount world-wide. But as Christopher Moore and John Kaag write in The Uncertainty Principle, “Humans crave certainty. We long to know what will happen, what to believe, and how to […]
Beyond the headlines and soundbites, the main effect from coronavirus seen thus far in the United States may be confusion. Who to believe. What to believe. And how best to prepare and think about this latest global threat right now. Here, we offer analysis and advice from the United States’ preeminent risk communication speakers and consultants, […]
The experts at Skadden weigh in on whether the epidemic constitutes force majuere as a legal basis for nonperformance under financial and commercial contracts. The outbreak of coronavirus (also known as COVID-19) is reportedly impacting global manufacturing, transportation and cross-border supply chains underpinning many aspects of international trade and commerce. Some companies are asserting that […]
By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications New coronavirus headlines, tweets and Facebook posts are piling up by the moment: first U.S. death, new cases of unknown origin, updated travel advisories, outbreaks in new areas. This is how news of a virus spreads in the communications ecosystem in 2020, and it’s understandable if you’re wrestling with how […]