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JUST A THOUGHT
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Some of your backup plans might need a backup plan.
- Erik Bernstein
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FROM THE EDITOR
I have to admit, I have a guilty pleasure. In between reading regular news stories, I can't help scrolling down to the "Entertainment" section of Google and spending a few minutes checking out the latest from the wacky world of celebrity.
Recently, young Angus T. Jones, who plays Jake Harper on the show "Two and a Half Men," has been making headlines for blasting the show on which he is still employed at a rate of some $300,000 per episode. A religious awakening led Jones to plead with fans to stop watching the show that is full of, in his own words, "filth."
This raises some interesting crisis management questions for the show's producers. Do they leave Jake in the script now that the actor behind him is publicly and vocally opposed? Is there a need to speak out? Will people even take Jones seriously when he's raked in millions of dollars as a result of his work on the show?
Because this is TV, I expect the final decisions will be determined by how the ratings pan out over the coming months. Keep an eye on this situation, because it's definitely not over yet.
As always, you'll also find a summary of the best from both of our blogs.
If you like what you see, please share it with others by using the "Forward Email" link at the bottom of the ezine and tell them to subscribe! IMPORTANT NOTE: If you just "Forward" using your own email program's "Forward" function and your recipient thinks they're being spammed, they can click on the Opt Out link and opt YOU off the list. So use the "Forward Email" link, please.
Thank you, and read on! - Ed. (As we went to press, Jones issued an apology that certainly reads like it had both legal and crisis management counsel involved.) |
BLOGS!
By Erik Bernstein
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Crises make headlines every day, and in our blog posts we help you learn from others' mistakes so you don't have to learn from as many of your own.
Here's a look at some recent posts from both the Bernstein Crisis Management blog and our Crisis Management blog over at Carter McNamara's Free Management Library.
A guest post from PR pro Brian Adams, Calvin and Hobbes on...Crisis Communication, applies some choice quotes from the infamous boy/tiger duo to all aspects of crisis communications.
Your crisis management posture can be immediately strengthened by accepting one fact - Nothing is Invulnerable. Regardless of your organization, there is a long list of crises that could throw your operations into chaos at any given moment. Once you realize that yes, crises really can happen, then you can move on with the work required to mitigate their impact.
It's pretty well accepted that when you mess up, you have to apologize. However, there are those rare times When Apologizing isn't the Best Crisis Management. Take Lance Armstrong, for example. If he speaks out, he risks losing a fortune and possibly heading to jail, while all remaining silent costs him is his reputation.
In yet another example of careless errors creating crises, Dow's Premature Release Crisis examines the potentially reputation-damaging situation that arose after news of layoffs from the chemical company was accidentally sent to the press several days early.
While Twitter plays communications host to breaking crises nearly every day, Twitter's Own Crisis Management isn't quite up to par. A recent email to users regarding a security breach was missing an essential ingredient from what BCM president Jonathan Bernstein calls "The Five Tenets of Crisis Communications."
Toyota Recall Crisis Redux covers yet another in the lengthy string of recalls for the automaker. With no end in sight and very little communication from the company, how many more drivers will be put in harm's way because of Toyota's reluctance to fix issues as soon as they're discovered, and how long until consumers in the U.S. lose faith altogether?
Yahoo! Tackles Crisis Management is an example of a crisis management email done right. Compare it to Twitter's recent email and you'll see a world of difference in tone and compassion that surely helped to smooth the raised hackles of angry Fantasy Football users after their favorite service crashed on game day.
All eyes were on New York and its mayor as they faced down a massive storm, and now that the worst is over, we feel we can confidently give High Marks for Bloomberg on Sandy Crisis Management. Combining practice and experience with hard work and strong communication, Mayor Bloomberg helped guide his city through the biggest crisis he's faced in office.
Erik Bernstein is a freelance writer, editor of Crisis Manager, and Social Media Manager for Bernstein Crisis Management
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| APROPOS OF NOTHING | |
We Are Giving Away Business!!
Did that get your attention? Bernstein Crisis Management has been blessed for some time with more work than I can handle on my own, so the expert contractors in my Crisis Management Database have been getting more and more referrals lately and/or brought in as my subcontractors. That's the virtual business model I've had since 1994, and today that model is widely accepted and appreciated by our clients. So, if you have a crisis management-related business and would like to be considered for my Database, please write to me! - Jonathan
The Bernsteins Available to Deliver Free Guest Lectures
Jonathan alone, or the team of Jonathan and Erik Bernstein, are available at no charge to deliver guest lectures to college classes via Skype or Google Hangout. We've already conducted several with our friend Dr. Janice Frates at Cal State University Long Beach, and are ready to expand our offering to any college professor. All you need at your end is a single computer with webcam and a strong broadband connection. Contact us for more info!
Attention Corporate Boards of Directors (and those who serve them).
If you're connected with a corporate board of directors in some way and think that board would benefit from having a veteran crisis management pro amongst its membership, please contact me. -- Jonathan
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BUSINESS ANNOUNCEMENTS
(aka blatant self-promotion) NEW PRICING FOR
Keeping the Wolves at Bay: Media Training  Reflecting a significant change in the book-selling marketplace, we have reduced the cost of this popular media training manual from $49 to $25 for the hard copy and from $29.95 to $10 for the PDF. Visit The Crisis Manager Bookstore for more information and/or to purchase.
Manager's Guide to Crisis Management
Whether you're a seasoned manager, aspiring up-and-comer, or student of crisis management, Jonathan Bernstein's textbook, Manager's Guide to Crisis Management (McGraw-Hill, 2011) will put you in control of any situation.
Want To Blog And Tweet About Your Organization But Don't Have Time?
Missing out on all the promotional and SEO advantages of doing so? Hire someone to be your voice...like Erik Bernstein, editor of Crisis Manager.
More info:[email protected]. |
GUEST AUTHORSGuest authors are very welcome to submit material for "Crisis Manager." There is no fee paid, but most guest authors have reported receiving business inquiries as a result of appearing in this publication. Case histories, experience-based lessons, commentary on current news events and editorial opinion are all eligible for consideration. Submission is not a guarantee of acceptance. |
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER AND EDITOR   Jonathan Bernstein is both publisher of Crisis Manager and president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., a national crisis management public relations agency providing 24/7 access to crisis response professionals. The agency engages in the full spectrum of crisis management services: crisis prevention, response, planning & training. He has been in the public relations field since 1982, following five-year stints in both military intelligence and investigative reporting. Write to Jonathan at: [email protected]. Erik Bernstein is editor of Crisis Manager and is also Social Media Manager for Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc. Write to Erik at: [email protected]. |
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LEGAL DISCLAIMERAll information contained herein is obtained by Jonathan Bernstein from sources believed by Jonathan Bernstein to be accurate and reliable. Because of the possibility of human and mechanical error as well as other factors, neither Jonathan Bernstein nor Bernstein Crisis Management is responsible for any errors or omissions. All information is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. Bernstein Crisis Management and Jonathan Bernstein make no representations and disclaim all express, implied, and statutory warranties of any kind to the user and/or any third party including, without limitation, warranties as to accuracy, timeliness, completeness, merchantability, or fitness for any particular purpose.
Unless due to willful tortuous misconduct or gross negligence, Jonathan Bernstein and Bernstein Crisis Management shall have no liability in tort, contract, or otherwise (and as permitted by law, product liability), to the user and/or any third party.
Under no circumstance shall Bernstein Crisis Management or Jonathan Bernstein be liable to the user and/or any third party for any lost profits or lost opportunity, indirect, special, consequential, incidental, or punitive damages whatsoever, even if Bernstein Crisis Management or Jonathan Bernstein has been advised of the possibility of such damages.
A service of this newsletter is to provide news summaries and/or snippets to readers. In such instances articles and/or snippets will be reprinted as they are received from the originating party or as they are displayed on the originating website or in the original article. As we do not write the news, we merely point readers to it, under no circumstance shall Bernstein Crisis Management or Jonathan Bernstein be liable to the user and/or any third party for any lost profits or lost opportunity, indirect, special, consequential, incidental, or punitive damages whatsoever due to the distribution of said news articles or snippets that lead readers to a full article on a news service's website, even if Bernstein Crisis Management or Jonathan Bernstein has been advised of the possibility of such damages. Authors of the original news story and their publications shall be exclusively held liable. Any corrections to news stories are not mandatory and shall be printed at the discretion of the list moderator after evaluation on a case-by-case basis.
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