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Misinformation, Disinformation and Hoaxes: What’s the Difference?

From Michael J. O’Brien and Izzat Alsmadi, writing for The Conversation… Sorting through the vast amount of information created and shared online is challenging, even for the experts. Just talking about this ever-shifting landscape is confusing, with terms like “misinformation,” “disinformation” and “hoax” getting mixed up with buzzwords like “fake news.” Misinformation is perhaps the […]


Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community – Office of the Director of National Intelligence

Next to Warren Buffett’s annual letter to stockholders, one of the most eagerly anticipated document every year is the Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community.  From Wikipedia: This report is delivered at a hearing of the US Senate Select Intelligence Committee that has occurred each year since 2006, until 2020. Each hearing includes at least one […]


Few Facts, Millions Of Clicks: Fearmongering Vaccine Stories Go Viral Online

From Miles Parks at National Public Radio… The odds of dying after getting a COVID-19 vaccine are virtually nonexistent. According to recent data from the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, you’re three times more likely to get struck by lightning. But you might not know that from looking at your social media feed. A new NPR analysis finds […]


How Johnson & Johnson Could Regain Public’s Trust In Covid Vaccine Crisis

From Edward Segal, writing in Forbes… The decision to put the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine on pause in the U.S. after six cases of blood clotting were linked to women who took the shot has forced the company to deal with yet another crisis situation. Hours after the pause was announced, the company said it would delay rolling out the vaccine in […]


Resuscitating CDC’s Reputation

Once again, we highlight the work of Dr. Peter Sandman, one of the country’s preeminent experts on the subject of risk communications. In this piece, Dr. Sandman writes about what the CDC needs to do to regain public trust in talking about coronavirus, the tug-of-war between science and politics and the avoidance of hubris. As […]


“Use As Directed” Isn’t Just a Lawyer-Mandated Slogan

By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications (Editor’s Note:  The article below was written on April 19.  On May 5, Peloton completely reversed itself and agreed to recall its Tread Plus treadmills from the U.S. market in a deal struck with federal safety regulators.  “I want to be clear, Peloton made a mistake in our initial response […]


Few Facts, Millions Of Clicks: Fearmongering Vaccine Stories Go Viral Online

From Miles Parks at National Public Radio… The odds of dying after getting a COVID-19 vaccine are virtually nonexistent. According to recent data from the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, you’re three times more likely to get struck by lightning. But you might not know that from looking at your social media feed. A new NPR analysis finds […]


What the Stockdale Paradox Tells Us About Crisis Leadership

From Boris Groysberg and Robin Abrahams writing for the Harvard Business School: “You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end—which you can never afford to lose—with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.” — Admiral James Stockdale. In August, while most developed […]


Goodell Super Bowl Pre-Game Interview Showcases PR Fundamentals

Nicole Schuman at PRNews writes: From a PR standpoint, highlights of CBS’s Super Bowl pregame show didn’t come from Miley Cyrus’s concert for essential workers or the moving piece celebrating the 30th anniversary of Whitney Houston’s performance of the national anthem. It came from a simple interview that many viewers may have missed while preparing […]


When Should You Correct Fake News on Social Media Sites?

by Howard Fencl, Hennes Communications The tempo of client calls we field about dealing with social media misinformation continues to increase. Our mantra has always been: Stridently correct factual errors the second you see them  posted. But what if you get wind that a disgruntled former employee or a special interest group is planning to […]


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