Landmark Case May Dictate How Far School Districts Can Go in Disciplining Student Speech Online
By Nora Jacobs, Hennes Communications A Pennsylvania student’s decision to express her frustration about being passed over for promotion on the cheerleading squad will mark the U.S. Supreme Court’s first review of the limits of free speech for students in the age of social media when it rules on a case heard April 28. School […]
Why do Americans Share so Much Fake News? One Big Reason is They Aren’t Paying Attention, New Research Suggests
By Denise Marie-Ordway, writing for the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School… Many Americans share fake news on social media because they’re simply not paying attention to whether the content is accurate — not necessarily because they can’t tell real from made-up news, a new study in Nature suggests. Lack of […]
“I’m Afraid to Open Twitter”: Next-Level Harassment of Female Journalists is Putting News Outlets to the Test
By Charlotte Klein, writing for Vanity Fair… It started late one day, and you could see it kind of building on social media,” Washington Post national editor Steven Ginsberg recalled of the torrent of online abuse directed last month at Seung Min Kim. The Post reporter had been photographed showing Senator Lisa Murkowski a critical tweet sent by Neera Tanden and seeking comment, a standard journalistic practice somehow interpreted as […]
Beware Humor on Social Media – the Joke May Be on You and Your Reputation
By Thom Fladung, Hennes Communications The funny thing about trying to be humorous on social media is that it’s too often not funny – and can be quite damaging. Exhibit 1: On March 8, Burger King United Kingdom posted this to Twitter: “Women belong in the kitchen.” On International Women’s Day. The motivation actually was […]
Is Fighting Fake Videos Mission Impossible? No, But Tom Cruise Fakes Show Online Threats Rising
By Thom Fladung, Hennes Communications Deepfake videos have been making news and shaking up people who worry about truth and fact for several years now. The recent release of Tom Cruise deepfakes on Tik Tok shows the technology has reached a new, disquieting level of realism. Chris Ume, the visual effects artist behind the Cruise […]
A Peek Inside a Crisis War Room From Chicago Navy Pier’s Top Communicator
By Sophie Maerowitz, writing for PRNews… In this installment, we hear from Payal Patel, communications director at Chicago Navy Pier, who shares her approach to a crisis war room, as well as her take on PR’s role in the tourism industry’s recovery. PRN: What is your role at Navy Pier in Chicago? What are some […]
When Should You Correct Fake News on Social Media Sites?
by Howard Fencl, Hennes Communications The tempo of client calls we field about dealing with social media misinformation continues to increase. Our mantra has always been: Stridently correct factual errors the second you see them posted. But what if you get wind that a disgruntled former employee or a special interest group is planning to […]
Political Action Committee & Personal Political Contributions Revisited – Might This Be Only of Passing Interest?
The National Law Review By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications After publication of our article in the National Law Review on January 16, Political Action Committee & Personal Political Contributions Become the Next Reputational Challenge for Law Firms & Their Clients, we heard from an attorney from a large firm who raised the issue of “staying […]
Crisis Management Lessons Learned From the 2020 Political Scene That Can Apply To Any Organization
Arthur Solomon, a former journalist, was a senior VP/senior counselor at Burson-Marsteller. In the past, we’ve found him to be an astute observer of the scene. Here, he offers advice aimed at public relations firms, but also applicable to any professional service firm, nonprofit, government agency or company. Of course, Art’s opinions, written for CommPro, […]
Your Brain’s Built-In Biases Insulate Your Beliefs from Contradictory Facts
Jay Maddock, Professor of Public Health, at Texas A&M University writes: A rumor started circulating back in 2008 that Barack Obama was not born in the United States. At the time, I was serving as chair of the Hawaii Board of Health. The director and deputy director of health, both appointed by a Republican governor, inspected […]