BulletProofBlog the blog on crisis communications

A recent story in the National Law Journal looks at the range of legal problems employee blog posts - whether they're sanctioned or not - can create. In the article, attorney Zachary Hummel claims that some employers give free rein to employees on corporate blogs as a way to monitor morale in the workplace. While (possibly) well intentioned, this approach does not bode well for a company's digital presence. Just like it is incumbent on employers ... READ MORE

Last weekend, Richard Levick gave a speech before hundreds of bloggers at the BlogWorld Conference in Las Vegas. He focused on how the blogosphere has forever changed the crisis communicators' craft and what we all must do to adapt to an evolving new media landscape. For those of you that couldn't make it to Vegas, I offer an example of what happened there not necessarily staying there. Richard gave an interview with Blog Talk Radio shortly ... READ MORE

Everyone seems to be talking these days about the death of newspapers. In fact, much of the discussion has been detailed right here in Bulletproof's corner of cyberspace. But, while the newspaper business may be in trouble, it is dangerous to assume that newspapers themselves are history. It all depends on how one chooses to define the word "newspaper." If you mean that bundle of cheap newsprint that gets thrown on your lawn every morning, kiss it ... READ MORE

Yesterday, the September issue of Levick's monthly e-newsletter, High Stakes, was published and I'd like to invite all the readers of Bulletproof to check it out. This month's focus is on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and the communications strategies that can diminish the impact of an investigation or keep an international company out of hot water all together. With the number of FCPA prosecutions carried out by the U.S. government doubling between 2006 and 2007 - ... READ MORE

As the election season reaches a fever pitch, the ad wars are about to get ugly. Only we're not talking about Obama versus McCain, but rather another battle being waged for the hearts and minds of American citizens - that of the PC versus the Mac. This week, Microsoft announced the second phase of a $300 million advertising campaign to remake its tattered image following a year-and-a-half long assault on Windows-based computers from rival Apple. Central ... READ MORE

Of all the issues one might expect Governor Sarah Palin's vice presidential candidacy to highlight, data security seemed like an unlikely contender. That was, of course, until last week when hackers broke into the Governor's personal Yahoo email accounts and posted messages, screenshots of her inbox, and family photos all over the Internet. Now the Governor is taking some flack, not because she was complicit in or could have somehow prevented the virtual break-in. Rather, the ... READ MORE

Do you hear that sound? Listen carefully. It's being heard in newsrooms from Los Angeles to Orlando and from New York to Cleveland. It began as a low, almost inaudible murmur in the late 1990s and has grown ever louder with each passing day. It's the sound of the last gasping breath of those unable to adapt to a changing world. It's the sound of irrelevance. Today, newspapers are struggling to keep up with the evolving ... READ MORE

As a final to caveat to this miniseries on the evolution of investigative journalism and the newfound power of bloggers and others that are carrying on a proud legacy, I'd like to highlight what happened to United Airlines last Monday when an erroneous report of the company's bankruptcy hit the Wall Street rumor mill. On the morning of September 8, a reporter performing a routine Google search at a Florida investor information service found a bombshell ... READ MORE

Last week, we took a look at how bloggers are emerging as a new breed of investigative journalists in an era of massive cutbacks at traditional media outlets across the country. Today, I'd like to delve into another way that everyday citizens are picking up the slack. It's called "crowdfunding" - and it offers all of us an opportunity to shine the media spotlight on the stories we want told. A few weeks back, Sarah Kershaw ... READ MORE

In an article published in Broadcasting & Cable Magazine earlier this summer, columnist Marisa Guthrie offered intriguing insight into the future of investigative journalism. She wrote, "Investigations of the rich and powerful, the multinational corporations and monopoly industries have all but dried up, say a coterie of journalists still trying to ply their trade… While investigations are far from extinct, few can make the case that the scope and number of reports on network news are ... READ MORE