Not For All of Our Readers — Terror of Tomorrow: What Organizations Must Know to Share and Prepare
From Homeland Security Today Gate 15’s David Pounder asked Homeland Security Today Managing Editor Bridget Johnson to help paint a threat assessment for the year ahead for the benefit of critical infrastructure entities and Information Sharing and Analysis Centers and Organizations. We share that Q&A here for the benefit of all HSToday partners and readers. In […]
How to Say ‘I’m Sorry,’ Whether You’ve Appeared in a Racist Photo, Harassed Women or Just Plain Screwed Up
Written by Lisa Leopold, Associate Professor of English Language Studies, The Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, Middlebury. “I’m sorry.” These two words may seem simple, but the ability to express them when you’re in the wrong is anything but – particularly for those in the public eye. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, to […]
School Shooting PR Consultant Apologizes After Calling Critics ‘Crazies’ and Reporter ‘Skanky’
From the Sun Sentinel: crisis public relations consultant created a crisis of her own for the Broward school district, after a video came to light in which she dismissed the district’s critics in the Parkland massacre as “crazies” and called a reporter a “skanky” “jerk” who “smells bad.” Sara Brady, who was paid nearly $75,000 to assist […]
A Crisis Management Lesson: Leaders Under Fire Who Choose to Say Nothing Give People Nothing to Believe In
By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications From pointed guns to pointed fingers, the damage left in the wake of the Feb. 14, 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, has been gut-wrenching. The gunman, of course, is ultimately to blame for an act of pure evil. But many others involved, from the police officers first […]
A Playbook for CEOs Attacked by Trump: Thrust, Parry, Ignore
From Kevin Miller, writing for Bloomberg: (Bloomberg) — Bosses of the world’s largest corporations are still learning to deal with one modern peril: when President Donald Trump shows he’s not afraid to call them out on Twitter. General Motors Corp. is the latest example. Even though Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra reached out to to […]
The Stakes are Higher for Women in Charge of Safety
By Rachel Schallom, writing for Poynter: The first time I made a security decision, my stomach was in knots from the moment I said yes to the second I got the text confirming the reporter was home safely. This wasn’t an international story. The reporter took a short car ride to the assignment and would […]
Damage Control: Recovering Your Firm’s Reputation After a Breach
From Kathy O’Brien, writing in the National Law Review: You can regain trust after a cyber breach. Here’s how. In March 2016, the FBI warned that hackers were targeting large international law firms to steal confidential client information and use it for insider trading, corporate espionage and other criminal purposes. Are law firms any more secure now? […]
A Well-Crafted Crisis Response Plan Could Save Your Business
By Bruce Hennes, CEO, Hennes Communications Written, tested and ready-to-go business continuity plans should just be part of doing business in today’s world. Typically, those plans include the step-by-step operational response procedures to follow in the event of a disaster. Here are some common mistakes we’ve seen in this effort: 1. Not planning for enough […]
Crisis Management Hot Seat: The Ambush Interview (and How to Survive it)
By Howard Fencl, Hennes Communications: There are a few surefire ways to ensure you, as a representative of your organization, can get on TV: Run as fast as you can from a reporter and videographer Grab the videographer’s camera lens and wrestle with it Jump in your car and floor it Slam your front […]
The Hashtag That Became a Movement Marks its First Anniversary
From Nora Jacobs at Hennes Communications: After this week’s events, if there is a place in America where the issue of sexual misconduct is not top-of-mind, it is a place without access to the internet, television and newspapers. Although the phrase “Me Too” dates back to 2006, it wasn’t until October 2017, when it […]