The shocking report by Special Investigator and former FBI Director Louis Freeh on the conduct of Penn State University officials during the buildup to the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal demonstrates how a slow, hidebound institutional culture and chain of command can exacerbate a crisis to disastrous proportions. Read more
CommCore Blog and News
Posts Tagged: Crisis Response
No “Crash and Burn” In This Case
The back-to-back car accidents involving Secretary of Commerce John Bryson this past weekend could have ended up burning the fingers of an Obama administration already trying to manage the President’s “private sector is doing fine” PR-fire. Read more
Catch the Spirit…
If a tree falls in the forest do you hear it? You do if Spirit Airlines is holding the saw.
In case you missed the latest coverage surrounding Spirit…dying Vietnam vet Jerry Meekins tried to get a refund after being told by his doctor that he was too sick to fly. Read more
You have to say “I’m Sorry” more than once
The latest TSA story igniting the social space…a nursing mom was forced to use her breast pump in a public restroom in order to get though airport security. Read more
The Komen firestorm, and flip-flop
The sudden reversal by the Susan G. Komen For The Cure foundation will likely not end the controversy over its temporary withdrawal of funding for mammograms from Planned Parenthood. Without taking a position on the decision itself, and on the reversal, as communications consultants we at CommCore have several observations:
· Why did they make the original announcement in the midst of a bitterly contested Presidential and Congressional election year in which Culture War issues such as abortion – which Planned Parenthood provides on-demand – are among the most divisive?
Read more
No Waffling: How One Company Uses Crises to Its Advantage
When FEMA officials assess the need for aid after a weather disaster in the Mid-Atlantic or Southeastern US, they consult two barometers: The Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale, and how many Waffle Houses are open.
60 Minutes profile of the New York Police Department (NYPD): Great PR, Bad Guys beware.
As a crisis counselor who has worked with law enforcement, I saw the “60 Minutes” Sept.25 “Fighting Terrorism in New York City” as a terrific PR coup for the NYPD and Commissioner Raymond Kelly. Read more
Lessons Learned from 9/11
Read more
Learning from the first crisis: Don’t make the same mistakes twice
Virginia Tech’s shooting massacre in 2007 changed the way universities and other public institutions respond to crises. As a result of the slow, manual campus warning system in place on the day a deranged gunman killed 32 people, emergency and crisis response leaders more rapid alert protocols, adding blast texts and emails along with other traditional warnings. Read more
NBC’s Pledge Gaffe
Any reporter and editor has been there before – letting something slip through on the air or in print that came back to bite them. But NBC did it in spades this past weekend – its editorial processes failing twice – in its coverage of the U.S. Read more