Reputation Watch – Lawsuits’ Lurid Details Draw an Online Crowd
Every lawyer knows that if they call a press conference, lay out allegations of misconduct, and later on those allegations are defamatory, they can easily get sued. But if the lawyer files suit and the media downloads and widely publicizes those same allegations, the lawyer is likely safe. More and more, first court filings are […]
The ‘Coliseum Culture’ – The New Dynamics of Scandal Where No Sin Will Be Forgiven
[by Nora Jacobs] Noted media commentator James Wolcott observed in a recent edition of Vanity Fair, “The Internet is an accelerator and force multiplier of opinions and perceptions. Indignation is its rocket fuel.” Wolcott made the observation as part of a column dissecting the destruction of Bill Cosby’s reputation. Almost concurrently, David Brooks penned a […]
6 Reasons Why We’re Bad at Spotting Liars
We often remind clients that it’s not just what you say, it’s how you say it. In fact, how you communicate often trumps the exact words you use. The how includes the way you look, the way you dress, move and occupy space – in other words, the totality of your being. From our colleague, […]
Celebrity Apologies: Real vs. Faux
From Franchesca Ramsey at Upworthy: It’s no surprise when celebrities get caught making insensitive comments that land them in hot water. But when fashion critic Giuliana Rancic came under fire for making nasty comments about actress Zendaya Coleman’s hair at the 2015 Academy Awards, I don’t think anyone expected what happened next. This whole thing […]
Why Internal Audiences Should Be Your Priority
[By Howard Fencl, APR] When we talk to clients about reputation management and ask who their most important audience is, “media” is all too often their answer. They are wrong. It is your internal audiences – your board, staff, vendors, volunteers, donors – who ultimately support your reputation or sink it. Your internal stakeholders are […]
How to Obtain Social Media Data for Defending Lawsuits
Knowing what the lawyers are looking for – and how they ask for that data – can help you preemptively defend the reputation of your organization. This article from CorporateCounsel is a good start. Photo Credit: CorporateCounsel
Here’s Why Brian Williams Was Suspended
There are actually a number of good reasons why NBC didn’t fire news anchor Brian Williams, “as the pitchfork-bearing critics have demanded,” according to media critic Al Tompkins. You can read those reasons here.
Debunking Myths
We often counsel our clients to immediately take steps to correct misinformation and myths. No longer do articles in obscure publications remain read by few and relatively inaccessible; instead, an article from the Canton Repository has as much chance of being on the first page of a Google search as does an article from the […]
When to Use Subject Matter Experts as Spokespeople
[By Nora Jacobs] Our counsel to clients facing challenging situations requiring media interaction is to select one key spokesperson and train that person to use the messages the organization wants to convey. That’s because we’ve found having one spokesperson almost always improves the effectiveness of message delivery. In most cases, those messages focus on the […]
The Truth About Brian Williams — and the Truth
[By Howard Fencl, APR] I love Brian Williams. He’s my go-to guy for my daily network news fix. Has been for years. When I helped run the newsroom at WKYC-TV in Cleveland, he’d work the room whenever he was in town covering news, enduring an endless stream of gushing praise from star-struck newsroom staff. For […]