When Hashtag Turns Bashtag
[by Howard Fencl, APR] You could see disaster coming. The New York Police Department dangled prime Internet troll bait on Twitter this week in an ill-conceived campaign that quickly backfired and spread hate posts to other police departments across the country. The department’s initial volley was a sincere attempt to promote good community relations: “Do […]
What if Your CEO is a Poor Communicator?
[by Howard Fencl] When a crisis significantly impacts reputation or stock price, when the magnitude of crisis is significant enough to bring business to a halt – your key internal and external audiences expect to hear directly from the CEO. But what if your CEO is a poor communicator? An extreme example: Edward Burkhardt, the […]
General Motors – Where Were the Truth-Tellers?
[by Bruce Hennes] According to this week’s New York Times, ”It was nearly five years ago that any doubts were laid to rest among engineers at General Motors about a dangerous and faulty ignition switch. At a meeting on May 15, 2009, they learned that data in the black boxes of Chevrolet Cobalts confirmed a […]
Threatening the Media
[by Howard Fencl, APR] “Let me be clear to you, you ever do that to me again, I’ll throw you off this f–ing balcony… I’ll break you in half. Like a boy.” This is not dialogue from “American Hustle.” Inconceivably, it’s a U.S. Congressman threatening a TV news reporter while cameras rolled. Rep. Michael Grimm, […]
5 Mistakes Not to Make on Camera
[by Howard Fencl, APR] When you appear on-camera for an interview, you are going on the record in perpetuity. Excerpts will be broadcast, uploaded, archived, keyword searchable and available 24/7 on the web. You can do your organization’s brand a whole lot of good with a strong, articulate interview. But if you’re not prepared, you […]