When is a sanction not a sanction? When the penalized party ignores it and keeps doing what others want to stop. Think, for example, of sanctions on Russia over its involvement in the Ukraine. Countries keep tightening the screws but Putin is moving ahead to supply troops and armaments to the rebels. At some point, the […]
Posted on February 19th, 2015 by admin
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Reporters are burning out while reviewing brutal footage from the battlefields of Syria and the actions of ISIS. Some say it has become a mental health challenge in the newsroom. One wonders about this. There was a period in the news business when the more graphic a picture was the better. Think of Weegee in […]
Posted on February 18th, 2015 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 180 Comments »
A federal judge has apparently stopped President Obama’s plans for immigration reform. It is too early to know if his order will be lifted or not. One point is for sure — communicating to millions of immigrants who can take advantage of the plans will be immensely more difficult. First of all, many do not […]
Posted on February 17th, 2015 by admin
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Elon Musk has been the PR spokesperson for Tesla since its beginning. The electric auto has been expensive to build and the company is a money-loser, So what is Musk doing. He’s doubling down on his investment by spending $763 million to double production. Shareholders have been patient, but for how much longer? Musk so […]
Posted on February 13th, 2015 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 180 Comments »
Political campaigns have mastered the craft of cutting losses by spinning off people and organizations that threaten the success of candidates. Consider this example. Jeb Bush has not yet formally declared he is going to run for President, and he already is letting people go who could embarrass him. It’s a smart thing to do. […]
Posted on February 12th, 2015 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 193 Comments »
The war of words between Greece and the rest of Europe has turned into a game of chicken. Each side has mustered its PR tools and is bluffing the other. Will Greece get rid of the imposed austerity plan? Will Europe force Greece to stick to Europe’s will? Will the Euro survive if there is […]
Posted on February 11th, 2015 by admin
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A now former employee of HSBC bank stole thousands of files from its computer systems and created a major reputational crisis for the institution. The files reveal that the bank helped thousands of wealthy people, including crooks, hide money from tax authorities in Swiss accounts. The employee who took the data considers himself a whistleblower. […]
Posted on February 10th, 2015 by admin
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How do you communicate when a major merger has been frozen for a year by regulators? This is the challenge faced by Comcast in its effort to merge with Time Warner Cable. Comcast is working closely with regulators and has one of the largest lobbying operations in Washington DC, but it has yet to be able to […]
Posted on February 9th, 2015 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 200 Comments »
By now, you might be aware of a tale that Brian Williams, NBC News anchor, had been telling about his time in Iraq — how he was in a helicopter that was shot down. Turns out it wasn’t true. He was in a helicopter an hour behind the one hit by ground fire. The internet […]
Posted on February 6th, 2015 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 174 Comments »
After a tragic accident caused by your employees, which displaced 1000 people, is it smart to recommend to a government executive that he praise you in a press conference? This is what happened after a fire burned an apartment complex in Edgewater, NJ. The public relations firm sent an advisory e-mail to the county executive […]
Posted on February 5th, 2015 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 180 Comments »
