BulletProofBlog the blog on crisis communications

He's paid his debt to society. He's been conditionally reinstated by NFL Commissioner Roger Godell. But based on the reactions of owners and coaches from San Francisco to Minnesota to Washington D.C., Michael Vick still has some hurdles to clear before returning to the field. Earlier this week, the Mike & Mike Show interviewed me about what Vick can do take some pressure off of NFL owners who are weighing the benefits of his dazzling play ... READ MORE

It took a week, but Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos finally did the right thing - and in the end, what Amazon did to create a controversy about its popular Kindle device, and how it handled the fallout, offer valuable lessons for companies on the cutting edge of the digital media economy. It all started with an old book, ironically George Orwell's 1984, which tells the story of a totalitarian dictatorship overseen by a mysterious tyrant called ... READ MORE

Add United Airlines to the list of companies that have now experienced social media's power to ensure consumers' voices are heard. The airline found itself out of tune earlier this month after a satirical music video describing poor customer service exploded virally. As I discussed with Aviation Week last week, this video is yet another reminder that the Web has fundamentally changed crisis communications for good. The YouTube video by musician Dave Carroll, "United Breaks Guitars," ... READ MORE

On Friday, President Obama said he "could have calibrated" his words more carefully when he criticized the arrest of Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. Applying a classic crisis communications term to justify his statements, the President said he hoped the case would provide "a teachable moment" to spur improved relations between minorities and the police. Better he should have obeyed another PR shibboleth: Know the facts before you enter a fight. By jumping into the ... READ MORE

Each week, Bulletproof Blog features exclusive interviews with thought leaders on issues of critical importance to companies and countries. This week, we interview Stratford Sherman, a partner with the corporate leadership advisory firm Accompli; co-author of the bestselling book Control Your Destiny or Someone Else Will; and a former journalist who conducted high-stakes interviews with countless executives over two decades at Fortune magazine. During an interview with General Electric CEO Jack Welch in 1988, Mr. Sherman ... READ MORE

At the turn of the century, Sarbanes-Oxley brought about an era of unprecedented corporate transparency. Today, the current global financial crisis has put the spotlight on corporate accountability. As a result, boards of directors must not only take a more active and engaged role in how their companies respond to myriad crisis situations, they must also understand how an impending regulatory sea change will impact their responsibilities and liabilities. In this month's edition of Levick's e-newsletter, High ... READ MORE

Millions of Americans like to talk on the phone while they drive - and Congress apparently knows it. The New York Times reports that a National Highway Transportation Administration (NHTSA) study of the dangers posed by distracted drivers was suppressed, at least in part because of fears that the results would anger influential members of Congress. Now, two activist groups - the Center for Auto Safety and Public Citizen - have their hands on the information ... READ MORE

Fifteen years ago, companies could reasonably expect that confidential or sensitive information disclosed to internal audiences would remain within the cozy confines of the office walls. As a story in yesterday's Wall Street Journal makes abundantly clear, those days are now long gone. The speed and ease with which information travels in the digital age has signaled the extinction of purely "internal" audiences. When companies share messages meant for their employees' eyes only, the odds that ... READ MORE

The recent death of Walter Cronkite reminded me of one of his favorite sayings that I learned as a young reporter: The role of a journalist is to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted. But today, too many journalists have become celebrities in their own right, far too comfortable in their elite status, socializing and courting acceptance with the very actors, politicians, and public figures they write about. Is it a coincidence that as so ... READ MORE

Each week, Bulletproof Blog features exclusive interviews with thought leaders on issues of critical importance to companies and countries. This week, as international companies grapple with a renewed government focus on corruption, we interview Jim Mintz and Patrick Kelkar of the James Mintz Group, an international investigative firm that specializes in Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) due-diligence and investigations for corporations and their legal counsel. Mr. Mintz, the founder and president of the Mintz Group, has ... READ MORE