Why Jim Cantore and Hurricane Reporters in the Eye of the Storm Matter
By Tom Jones, writing for Poynter… If the world can see what is happening, help is more likely to follow. One of the most powerful storms to ever hit the U.S. — 16 years to the day that Hurricane Katrina hit the same part of the country — dramatically overtook the news on Sunday. Right […]
9/11 at 20: Not Just Another Anniversary
Tim O’Brien writes… There are anniversaries and then there are anniversaries. The one that’s coming up is the latter. On September 11, 2021, the country will mark 20 years since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks that not only shook a nation, but changed it. The event created a new term that defines the era in […]
The Media Revolution is ‘Iterative’ and Social: Experts Share How Not to Get Left Behind
From Bar Leader, a publication of the American Bar Association: “You’re all living in a media revolution,” said Thom Fladung, vice president of Hennes Communications. “And you don’t even know it.” Offering a window onto one aspect of that revolution, Bruce Hennes, president of the same crisis communications firm, said, “I don’t think there’s a reporter […]
Crisis Communications in a Hostile Cyber Landscape
By Bethan Moorcraft writing in Business Insurance Australia… A few years ago, if a company suffered a cyberattack, the message they would relay was often: “We’re experiencing technical difficulties,” or “We’re dealing with a cyber incident.” But in today’s technology-first society, with ransomware and other cyberattacks so prevalent, crisis communication strategies have changed. Ransomware is […]
Disney Attacks Scarlett Johansson Instead of the Facts
From Tom Weidlich and Eric Rose writing for PR News… Actor Scarlett Johansson’s lawsuit against the Walt Disney Company is turning out to be a blockbuster. Yet, the company’s response is eliciting mostly thumbs-down reviews and providing an example of bad litigation communication. To its credit, Disney responded promptly and publicly. On the down side, […]
Cleveland Hits the Ball Out of the Park on Name Change
From our friends at PRCG/Haggerty… The Cleveland Indians professional baseball team, like similarly branded clubs, has been pressured for years to change its name, which many Native Americans view as racist. Last week, it unveiled a new moniker with a campaign aimed at anticipating blowback. It wasn’t just good PR, but good crisis communications. Baseball […]
The Right (And Wrong) Way To Apologize For Dumb Things You Said Online
By Brittany Wong, writing for HuffPost… The Celebrity Apology™ is having a moment, with famous person after famous person apologizing for stupid things they said online in years past. Just this year we’ve had journalist Alexi McCammond apologize (and resign from a Teen Vogue editor-in-chief position) for anti-Asian and homophobic tweets. We’ve had Chrissy Teigen apologize for cyberbullying and Billie […]
7 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Crisis Communications Firm
By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications This article first appeared in the National Law Journal Crisis communications is a sub-specialty of the public relations profession that is designed to protect and defend an individual, company, or organization facing a public challenge to its reputation. Crisis communications is aimed at raising awareness of a specific type of threat, the magnitude, […]
For the Third Year in a Row, Bruce Hennes Named to LAWDRAGON Global 100 Leaders in Legal Strategy and Consulting
Hennes Communications is proud to announce that Chief Executive Officer Bruce Hennes has been named to the 2021 LAWDRAGON Global 100 Leaders in Legal Strategy and Consulting, the definitive guide to the experts in management, marketing, communication and recruiting most valued by law firm leaders. This is the third year in a row that Hennes has been named […]
The New Rules of Risk
From C.J. Prince writing for Chief Executive… One thing is certain coming out of 2020: The global pandemic and recession will be followed by new challenges in the years to come—and if the past year-plus has taught boards anything, it’s that they have to find better ways to forecast those financial and non-financial risks and […]