TLC & the Duggar Family Scandal
[By Howard Fencl, APR] In the ongoing story of the Duggar family sex abuse scandal, the TLC cable television network on Thursday, July 16 announced that “after thoughtful consideration, TLC and the Duggar family have decided to not move forward with 19 Kids and Counting. The show will no longer appear on the air.” The […]
How Jeni’s Ice Cream Faced a Bet-the-Store Crisis
[By Nora Jacobs, APR] When news of the Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream recall first broke in April, we lauded the company’s communication response . (If you missed that post, you can access it here.) We watched reports of the crisis in the following weeks and could only imagine what was going on within the company […]
Breathing Is the Key to Persuasive Public Speaking
From the Harvard Business Review: Have you ever wondered why two people can say exactly the same thing in a meeting, but only one of them gets credit for it? Many times it’s the way we sound that makes the difference between whether or not we are actually heard. We all know when someone sounds nervous or […]
Brian Williams Goes to MSNBC – Punishment or Opportunity?
For our money, we think Mary Long, writing for Digital Media Ghost, was 100% on-target when she wrote: “NBC could’ve easily fired its anchor, as credibility is inarguably key to the role, and he’s already admitted guilt. The cost to fire him wouldn’t be insignificant, of course, but it would be much less than the […]
Man Records Doctors Insulting Him During His Own Colonoscopy; Shock, Anger and Lawsuit Follow.
[By Bruce Hennes] Restaurant workers putting disgusting substances in customer’s food. Politicians seeking and accepting favors. Employees on disability doing yard work. Police officers committing crimes. Every day, a new shocking story on Twitter, another Facebook “caught on tape,” a “you won’t believe what the camera saw” on YouTube. Everyone you know now carries a […]
We’re Not Hennes Paynter Anymore
Hennes Paynter Communications, one of the few firms in the U.S. focused exclusively on crisis communications and reputation management, is now Hennes Communications. The firm also offers litigation communications and media training services to its clients that are “on trial” in the Court of Public Opinion. The change follows the departure of former partner Barbara Paynter, […]
Up Periscope! Everyone’s a Live Reporter Now
[by Howard Fencl, APR] I’ve media trained dozens of industry leaders who are just now getting their arms around social media and grasping how a single iconic photo snapped during their organization’s crisis by a disgruntled party can spiral into a viral flame storm in seconds. They’re horrified. And they ought to be. Because whether […]
Selecting the Right Spokesperson
[By Nora Jacobs] One of the most common decisions we encounter when clients face a crisis situation is helping them choose the individual who will serve as their spokesperson. Rarely does anyone volunteer for this assignment and most draftees accept it with grudging resignation. In truth, being a spokesperson is a high-risk job and even […]
After a Public Shaming, Reclaiming My Dignity
Lisa T. McElroy is an associate professor of law at the Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law. She wrote this for The Washington Post. Three weeks ago, when I sat my teenage daughters down to deliver the difficult news, I said, “Girls, I have to tell you something upsetting.” My younger daughter’s face […]
Baltimore Officials and the Media Blame Game
[By Howard Fencl] You cannot criticize TV media for doing their job. Baltimore City Council President Jack Young blasted the media for covering protests that erupted into a night of violence, wanton looting and destruction. Protests were initially peaceful in response to the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old African-American who died from an unexplained […]