The (Epi)Pen is Mightier Than the Sword
[by Howard Fencl, Hennes Communications] Is it something in the DNA of biopharma CEOs that lights up righteous indignation all over social media and focuses the media spotlight on their self-made crises? Not long ago, I wrote about Turing Pharmaceutical’s 5,000 percent price hike of the toxoplasmosis drug, Daraprim, and the clueless swagger of its […]
Context is King: 4 Ways to Take Control of That Interview
[by Howard Fencl, Hennes Communications] The second a crisis rears its ugly head and a reporter knocks on your door about it, you start quaking in your boots. You get a lump in your throat and notice you’re sweating. But you know in your heart that your organization is not the villain in this issue, […]
Colleges Rarely Apologize for Mishandling Rape Cases, and Survivors are Sick of It
On Monday morning, activist Wagatwe Wanjuki lit a Tufts University sweatshirt on fire, and broadcast it on Facebook Live. She did so in protest, calling on schools like Tufts to apologize for mishandling sexual assault cases. “If they care about ending rape on campus, if they care about justice, then they should be able to do […]
6 Proven Methods of Persuasion
Presentations are a gamble; they’re risky. You invest valuable time and money, but you can’t predict the presentation climate that you will be dealt. You cannot calculate the exact mood of the audience or control all variables of the situation. To succeed, you must be bold, and come prepared with an ace up your sleeve. […]
Facebook is Experimenting with Having an Open Camera at the Top of the News Feed – The Impact Could Be Profound
[By Scott Juba] Facebook is rolling out a test in Brazil and Canada of having an open camera window atop the News Feed in the Facebook app. When people in those countries open the Facebook app on their mobile device, they will see a prompt to use this new feature. Upon accepting it, their camera […]
The TV I-Team is Back: Better Be Ready!
[by Howard Fencl, Hennes Communications] They’re the bane of guilty players everywhere. They pop out from behind buildings and bushes as you’re scrambling to get into your car. They run you down with a microphone stuck in your face and a Frezzi light blinding you. You’re trapped like a deer in a headlight with an […]
3 Social Media Lessons from the Cleveland Police
Throughout the 2016 Republican National Convention, the Cleveland Division of Police did a stellar job managing the crowds and conflict—all while reinforcing its actions and reassuring citizens on social media. Tensions ran high among both residents and convention attendees, but in addition to separating and protecting protestors, police also kept people informed online. Dispelling rumors […]
More About How Cleveland Handled a Major National Convention
[By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications] Cleveland was certainly in the national spotlight last week when the Republican National Convention was held on the shore of Lake Erie. Tensions were high when the convention commenced on Monday, July 18, especially because of the shootings of the police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana just a few days […]
Cleveland, Its Police and the Republican National Convention: How Crisis Management Prevented a Crisis
By Thom Fladung Hennes Communications The 2016 Republican National Convention hadn’t yet ended in Cleveland when the questions started from old friends in St. Paul, Minnesota. The first I noticed was a tweet from Rachel Stassen-Berger, the St. Paul Pioneer Press Capitol bureau chief, on the morning of July 21, the RNC’s final day: “Has […]
Horse-Race Journalism Dominated Primary Media Coverage
The media love to tell “horse race” stories. And if you’ve been watching/reading about the presidential race over the last year, you’ve seen a lot of them. While horse race stories are certainly legitimate storytelling “frames,” we’re not sure democracy is best-served with an overabundance on that particular frame. From Poynter in a piece written by […]