BulletProofBlog the blog on crisis communications

Allen Weiss, President and CEO of NCH HealthCare System recently wrote a guest column in the Naples Daily News responding to an editorial that had been critical of the pay that he and other NCH executives received. The guest column itself is interesting, but even more interesting is the litany of comments his op-ed piece generated (scroll down past the article to read them). As of the time I'm writing this post, no representative of ... READ MORE

From cave drawings, to picture books, to a ghost tale spoken in hushed tones around a campfire, human beings are always interested in a good story. We begin to truly communicate when our stories have pictures that our audience can see or imagine. It is how we empathize, which is the highest form of listening. The reason I've been thinking about all of this is because of the recent testimony by Deputy Attorney General ... READ MORE

Today, Barry Bonds inches closer to breaking the home run record set by Hank Aaron more than 30 years ago. Baseball fans—according to some, divided along lines of race--hotly debate Bonds' record book eligibility. And, because Major League Baseball has backed itself into a corner, it is doing the only thing it can do: nothing. MLB cannot embrace Bonds because, while he hasn't been found guilty of using illegal steroids, he is surrounded by the BALCO ... READ MORE

Paris Hilton is going to jail for 45 days. But will this latest in a series of 'scandals' be a speed bump or another launching ramp in her 'career?' The rules for the rest of us are different than celebrities, particularly celebrities who are famous for being famous. My feeling is that, all judgment aside, her most recent brush with the law won't harm her brand in the short term, and, in the upside down world ... READ MORE

The whole Deborah Jeane Palfrey, AKA 'The DC Madame' situation is a fascinating one, and a barometer by which Washington, DC determines who is ‘powerful.' ABC won't (and can't) embarrass all 10,000 people whose numbers show up on Palfrey's phone records--and heaven forbid she called her plumber or ordered pizza from that phone--but they and other media will go after those who are the most easily embarrassed, e.g. those in power and those who have ... READ MORE