How The ‘Wall’ That Helped Build The Internet Is Showing Some Cracks
[By Thom Fladung, Hennes Communications] The internet has democratized communications, allowing for a free flow of information unlike anything we’d ever imagined. The power once exclusive to big publishers and media moguls now is held by individuals, who can reach thousands of readers in an instant. And you can thank Section 230 of the Communications Decency […]
Attorneys & Communications Experts – Who Trumps Whom?
[By Stephanie York, J.D., Hennes Communications] Companies and other organizations limit liability by insuring most, if not all, of their assets: buildings, furniture, vehicles, the health of employees, the health of visitors and more. And while some insurance policies now offer “crisis communications coverage,” allowing the insured to engage the services of a specialized firm like […]
Crisis and Reputation Management Increasingly are About Managing Social Media
[By Thom Fladung, Hennes Communications] How fast is social media at reporting on events – including events that your organization might consider a crisis? Faster than you. Consider a situation involving a school in Westfield, N.Y., that we stumbled upon. Here’s the first paragraph of a story from the Westfield Republican: “Parents need to realize that […]
Taking Out the Trash and 3 Other Ways to Handle February TV “Sweeps”
[by Howard Fencl, Hennes Communications] Close on the heels of the New Year is the February Nielsen TV “sweeps” period – one of the ratings periods guaranteed to bring out the most salacious, over-the-top TV news special reports and sweeps series. The February sweeps period runs Feb 2 – March 1. Mark your calendars. It’s […]
Twitterer-in-Chief Donald Trump
The biggest bully-pulpit in the land is located inside the Oval Office. In the past, the occupants of that office have carefully chosen words and phrases, knowing they can move markets, armies and trends with minimal effort. Today, we are on the brink of uncharted waters as the next president of the United States appears to […]
Why You Should be Worried About Fake News – And How You Can Fight It
Molly Strong writes: While fake content has circulated in tabloids and on the internet for years, the 2016 election has given us a reason to take it seriously. Stories about the Clintons selling weapons to ISIS and Trump winning the popular vote (he didn’t) spread like wildfire, and in some cases outperformed real news. The […]
Brands Start Planning for Unexpected Criticism by Trump
Zach Schonbrun writes: H&R Block’s new advertising campaign is one of the more ambitious in the company’s 62-year history. It hired the actor Jon Hamm for his first on-camera spokesman role, a significant coup. And the company ditched its “Refund Season” slogan in favor of a more aggressive pitch: “Get your taxes won.” The ads […]
‘How Propaganda Works’ Is a Timely Reminder for a Post-Truth Age
Michiko Kakutani reviews ‘How Propaganda Works’: n “Mein Kampf,” Hitler argued that effective propaganda appeals “to the feelings of the public rather than to their reasoning ability”; relies on “stereotyped formulas,” repeated over and over again, to drum ideas into the minds of the masses; and uses simple “love or hate, right or wrong” formulations […]
Lessons From 2016 for the News Media, as the Ground Shifts
From Jim Rutenberg: Starting a weekly column about the nexus between media, technology, culture and politics in the middle of the 2016 presidential campaign was like parachuting into a hail of machine-gun crossfire. Dense smoke was everywhere as the candidates and their supporters unloaded on one another and, frequently, the news media, which more than […]
Assessing the Board’s Role Before the Next Crisis
From The National Association of Corporate Directors and The Wall Street Journal: As a host of threats continue to mount against organizations, more boards are weighing a broader, more proactive approach to crisis management. This is a positive development: in doing so, these boards are opening the door to adding significant value and stability to the organizations they oversee. Boards are uniquely […]