The Role of the Board in Preparing for Extraordinary Risk
From Nora Aufreiter, Celia Huber and Ophelia Usher writing for McKinsey & Co…. The pandemic has been a stark reminder for many organizations that they are insufficiently prepared for crises that could not merely destabilize them but put them out of business. In this episode of the Inside the Strategy Room podcast, our board perspective series looks at […]
Zelensky Shows the Power of Persuasion During Time of Crisis
From Evan Nierman, writing for The Hill… Whether he is reporting news in cryptic sound bites on Twitter or speaking from a gloomy subterranean bunker or darkened streets, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky continues to demonstrate the enormous impact of harnessing powerful messages and sharing them with the right tone and authority. In addition to his undeniable bona fide […]
Joint Message From the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Regarding the Russia-Ukraine Conflict
Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a private meeting with a group of CEO’s to hear Eric Smith, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Cleveland, Ohio office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, talk about cybersecurity. The main takeaway was this plea: If your organization is hacked, you should immediately notify the FBI and CISA. […]
Fighting Putin’s Propaganda: Narrative Response Toolkit
From our colleagues at Lynn PR in the United Kingdom, written by Stefan Rollnik… President Putin is waging two wars which are mutually reinforcing. One with bombs and one with information. In seeking to pollute the information space with bad information, contradictory information and downright lies, Putin is blurring the lines of reality and making […]
How Crises Affect Law Firm Leaders — and Some Helpful Resources
By Gina Rubel, writing for Attorney at Work… I’ve been thinking about what it means to lead a company through crises and how each crisis affects law firm leaders. A few years ago, I believed I had handled just about every type of crisis conceivable. How wrong I was. In recent years, we have dealt […]
The Best Guide to Spotting Misinformation Online
The Poynter Institute is a global leader in journalism. It is the world’s leading instructor, innovator, convener and resource for anyone who aspires to engage and inform citizens. Poynter champions freedom of expression, civil dialogue and compelling journalism that helps citizens participate in healthy democracies. Poynter prepares journalists worldwide to hold powerful people accountable and promote […]
I’ve Been a Hostage Negotiator for Kidnapped Journalists Like Daniel Pearl. Here’s What I Wish Everyone Knew.
From Daniel Levin, writing in The Forward… Today marks the 20th anniversary of the death of Daniel Pearl, the American journalist who was kidnapped and then brutally murdered by terrorists in Pakistan on Feb. 1, 2002. Danny’s death affected me deeply — his abduction on the way to an arranged interview at a Karachi restaurant, […]
A General Counsel Provides Counsel on Crisis Communications
Maria Feeley, chief legal officer for Washington and Lee University, has seen her share of crises, at Washington & Lee as well as Rosemont College, the University of Hartford and Florida A&M, where she’s worked or served on boards. Think about whether you’d like to be faced with any of these: A social media firestorm […]
For Spotify, ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ is an Object Lesson In Fumbling Crisis Communications
Thom Fladung, Hennes Communications Spotify, the streaming service that provides music and podcasts to hundreds of millions of users, has lately been providing a different service: A guide to mishandling a reputational crisis. For almost a month now, Spotify has lurched from one thorny situation to another centered on the popular “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast, […]
Four Lessons from Two Decades of Newsroom Lawyering
By Richard Tofel, writing in NiemanLab… Sometime early next month, I will formally retire from the practice of law after 26 years at the bar, including more than 21 years as a full- or part-time newsroom attorney.1 As I do this, I want to take stock of a few of the more important things I think […]