The news that the U.S. government is giving up control of the Internet – that is, the Department of Commerce announcing it will end its oversight of ICANN, the non-profit that administers Internet domains – brought me back to a time in my public affairs career when I learned first-hand about managing controversies, especially those…
We can only wonder whether a faster release of critical information about the actual path of the missing Malaysian Airlines flight would alter the outcome, such as a rescue of passengers, a discovery of wreckage, or the quick pursuit of leads in a criminal investigation before they dried up. Instead we are witnessing a communications…
This year the convergence of conferences our clients are attending and our staff are supporting has grown to epic proportions. Okay, maybe not epic, but given the snowy winter this year, these conferences could not have come at a better time to drag folks out of the doldrums. Nearly all of our clients will be…
I read a Washington Post blog recently calling 2013 the year of cybersecurity. While the year saw a profusion of data breaches and leaks, it’s more accurate to call 2013 the year of cyber violations – not cybersecurity. I think it’s more likely that 2014 will be the year of cyber solutions – maybe the…
With the New Year upon us, it’s time again for industry insiders and gurus to come out with their predictions for the upcoming year. Traditional media and blogs are peppered with predictions stories, from technology trends to outlooks for the U.S. economy. The PR industry is no different. PR practitioners have already begun to hit…
The U.S. healthcare system is going through monumental change and criticism. On October 1, one of the pivotal components of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) went into effect in the form of public health insurance marketplaces. And like any highly anticipated consumer product launch–think Apple iPhone, Madden NFL video games or Microsoft…
The problems with Healthcare.gov will no doubt eventually be repaired by IT pros, but the damage to reputations will sting for years to come. The challenge for the contractors involved is that the standard crisis communications playbook simply doesn’t apply in these situations. This playbook says that in a typical crisis where a corporate reputation is…
There seems to be a day, a week or a month for just about everything these days – from National Grilled Cheese Day (yes, you can look it up) to World Space Week to International Walk to School Month. Some of these are more interesting and important than others, and some are so important that…
PR pros pride themselves on mastering the art of the written word, but it’s time to get into a new mindset. Pounding out prose to populate press releases, fact sheets and talking points can be all consuming, client-pleasing and often mentally rewarding (“I nailed that lead”). No matter how perfectly fashioned, words on paper sometimes fail to…
This week the biggest advertising company merger in history was announced – between Omnicom and Publicis. The combined stock market value is $35 billion and there will be 130,000 employees in the newly formed entity. Those of us in the public relations industry are familiar with the two, as they are also the holding companies for a…
It’s hard to imagine that the leaks of PRISM and other national security programs could have a silver lining for the Obama Administration, but there just might be one in terms of public relations. The exposure of PRISM and the Administration’s reactions to the leaks have at least taken some attention away from the IRS…
If you’ve only visited Washington, D.C., you probably never heard of Frager’s. If you live in the district, there’s a good chance you know of the venerable hardware store that first opened in 1920. And if you ever lived on Capitol Hill, Frager’s was likely a staple in your life. Living only two blocks from…
