BulletProofBlog the blog on crisis communications

Yesterday, the Yale School of Medicine released a study that once again raises questions about the safety of a chemical commonly found in everyday plastics.   The potential dangers associated with Bisphenol A, or BPA, have long been the subject of debate among regulators, scientists, consumer groups, and the manufacturers that produce nearly 7 billion pounds of BPA each year. But with the revelation that exposure to EPA-accepted levels of the chemical has caused brain function and ... READ MORE

It's a sad but true reality of the 21st Century that companies and governments must make cyber-crime part of their crisis communications plans. There has long been paranoia in the international business, information technology, and law enforcement communities surrounding hackers' ability to invade private enterprise databases - and as such, best practices for communicating during such an event are proliferating every aspect of the global economy. But as a recent report from the British Government indicates, the ... READ MORE

Critics of the food industry, including the Center for Science in the Public Interest and The San Francisco Chronicle, are questioning the Food and Drug Administration's recent decision to allow irradiation of lettuce and spinach following devastating outbreaks of food-borne illness connected with those raw foods. The naysayers are scoffing at the idea of using irradiation, saying that it's a distraction from what they see as the real problem - a lack of adequate resources ... READ MORE

With the Democratic Convention in full swing, I'm reminded of a New York Times op-ed published by Michael Kinsley a few weeks back that gently pokes fun at the empty words and doublespeak found in political party platforms. Kinsley's criticism is aimed at politicians, but it should be taken seriously by anyone facing a high stakes communications challenge. We let politicians get away with this kind of "spin" in part because we no longer hold them ... READ MORE

In an opinion piece published in yesterday's Washington Post, environmental lawyer Dusty Horwitt proposed the idea of a "progressive" tax by which energy prices would be "kept at a consistently high level" in order to "make the technologies that overproduce information more expensive and less widespread." Why is an environmental lawyer making a tangential case for new energy taxes by targeting information technologies? Because, as Horwitt opines, an information overload created by blogs and other online ... READ MORE

In another sign that companies are increasingly using the Web to solicit their customers for creative ideas, Crest toothpaste is asking YouTube fans to develop the slogan for its new wintergreen ice flavor. From September 15 through October 17, consumers are invited to submit videos featuring their take on the brand in 10 words or less. The winning phrase will be used in late fall and winter television spots advertising the new flavor. And to pique ... READ MORE

Say it ain't so! Whole Foods Market, the top U.S. organic foods retailer, has announced a recall of all the fresh ground beef it sold between June 2 and August 6 due to potential E. coli contamination. This significant event threatens to undermine the promise of the Whole Foods brand - that is, consumers may pay more for its products but can expect food that is fresher, healthier, and safer in return. Whole Foods said the ... READ MORE

They say that three's the charm. Not for Australia's Qantas Airways. Three widely reported safety incidents in as many weeks have passengers and Qantas employees concerned and Australian safety authorities on alert. Qantas is actually among the world's safest air carriers, with not a single fatal accident in almost 90 years of commercial operation. But that was yesterday. Now, with three emergency landings one after another putting Qantas in the news, outgoing CEO Geoff Dixon admits ... READ MORE

The latest wave of disappointment in Apple's iPhone 3G saga came with the launch of MobileMe a few weeks back. As users reported server outages and lost e-mails, Apple remained quiet - issuing a terse, one-sentence statement online and eventually sending an apology e-mail to subscribers a few days later. To date, the company still has not answered the increasingly angry demands for information from its loyal customers and has stiff-armed inquiring news media. As a ... READ MORE

As newspapers struggle to remain relevant and profitable in the midst of the new media revolution, their reforms are driving veteran reporters and editors to another line of work. Last year, when real estate mogul Sam Zell stepped in to buy the debt-ridden Tribune Company newspaper empire, few thought it would lead to the departure of industry pinnacles like The Los Angeles Times' David Hiller and The Chicago Tribune's Ann Marie Lipinski. But that is precisely what ... READ MORE