BulletProofBlog the blog on crisis communications

As reports of The Washington Post's plan to sell access to reporters and government officials played out over the last few weeks, one thing became abundantly clear: While lesser publications can engage in similar behavior - as they have for decades - without their readers batting an eye, a founder and guardian of the Fourth Estate cannot. It's a question of fundamental branding: The Post is held to a higher standard if only because that ... READ MORE

In this regular feature, Bulletproof interviews top plaintiffs' attorneys for their perspective on the crises likely to affect businesses in the near future. Today we talk to Bruce Kaster of Kaster & Lynch PA in Ocala, Fl. Mr. Kaster is universally recognized as the leading plaintiff's lawyer in the United States for defective tire cases as well as an inexhaustible resource of information and guidance for other lawyers handling such cases throughout the country. What effect ... READ MORE

There are many factors as to why JP Morgan Chase is widely recognized as a healthy, well-capitalized bank despite the pall that has been cast over the financial services industry as a whole - and one of the marquee reasons is the leadership of Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon. During the deepest economic crisis of our generation, Mr. Dimon has become the face of what's right in the financial services sector - and he's done 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 a follow-up to our conversation with Paul Levy on CEO blogging, we interview the woman behind what may be the best-known corporate blog on the Web - Southwest Airlines' Linda Rutherford. As Vice President for Communications and Strategic Outreach at Southwest, Ms. Rutherford was one of the creative forces behind "Nuts About Southwest" - ... READ MORE

Bulletproof Blog's Weekly Web Wrap-up offers a compilation of key discussions regarding the relevance of social media in business. New data this week reinforces the notion that social media is no longer only for millennials, but has successfully bridged the generational divide. According to Facebook, users 55 and over have dramatically increased in the past six months from 1 million to almost 6 million. And, The Wall Street Journal reports that 63 percent of moms used ... READ MORE

From the outset, companies that file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection fight an uphill battle. They must overcome the fact that bankruptcy proceedings highlight what the media loves most - bad news. They must build a compelling, forward-looking narrative while critics focus on past mistakes. They must evoke sympathy from a public while having little to offer except promises. And they must define angles of interest that enable the conversation to rise above procedural detail. Just ... READ MORE

In this regular feature, Bulletproof interviews top plaintiffs' attorneys for their perspective on the crises likely to affect businesses in the near future. Today we talk to Jeffrey B. Kaplan, partner in the Miami office of Dimond Kaplan & Rothstein, P.A. a global practice representing investors against negligent or dishonest brokers and financial institutions. Among important recent cases, the firm commenced a class action against the IBM Southeast Employees' Federal Credit Union alleging that it ... READ MORE

While most companies have demonstrated a mastery of the blogosphere, Facebook, Twitter, and myriad other social media platforms when it comes to marketing their products and brands, most remain a full Internet-generation behind when it comes to bringing these tools to bear in crisis. As United Airlines, Apple Computers, Amazon.com, Domino's Pizza, and countless others have learned in just the last year, the Internet has fundamentally changed crisis management. The days when companies could wait 24 ... READ MORE

University endowments across America are dwindling faster than Sarah Palin's prospects for 2012. At a time when even the largest university budgets are feeling the effects of the economic crisis, the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) is hoarding hundreds of millions of dollars which could potentially ease the burden on many schools, many of whom are resorting to such belt-tightening measures as cutting trash collection in half. The 1984 Supreme Court decision, NCAA v. Board of Regents ... READ MORE

For someone who's been such a vehemently outspoken critic of the media since first landing in the national spotlight nearly a year ago, Governor Sarah Palin sure has made it easy to fill those column inches and cable news segments. As she announced her resignation on Friday, she went a step further - providing a gift that keeps on giving in the form of countless opportunities to speculate about the reasons why she quit and where ... READ MORE