A week ago Mike Haywood had the reputation as a great young football coach with a very bright future. After all, he was the first choice to be the next football coach at the University of Pittsburg – a top…
Category: Crisis Communications
Rocketing your way to a PR problem: Taking liberties with the truth before Congress
What’s happening to Roger Clemens is a Public Relations teaching opportunity. Clemens has been indicted on lying before Congress. The seven-time Cy Young award-winner was the most dominating pitcher of the steroid era in baseball. That goes to figure, because…
Don’t Take the Bait
Two recent news stories reminded me of a good lesson for people facing critical questioning from the media: don’t take the bait. We expect the media to ask tough, fair questions. It’s their job and that’s what they should do. But…
Independence Day on Publicity Stained Beaches
The summer travel season is well underway this weekend with big 4th of July celebrations planned. But how many people will be vacationing along the Gulf Coast in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and our home state of Florida? Independence Day for…
The World Cup of Reputation Management
Advertisement for the 2010 World Cup touts that one game changes everything. How right they are. One defender caught napping—or an unfocused goalie (need we mention England’s Robert Green?)—and a game, if not an entire cup, can be lost. Lose…
The Power of a Good Mea Culpa
-by Frank Wolff, Media Relations Director Here’s a PR tip that applies to BP and all businesses big and small: don’t underestimate the power of a good mea culpa. Merriam-Webster defines mea culpa as a formal acknowledgment of personal fault…