Crisis Management

The Victory of Spin

by Laura Miller — December 7, 2005 - 9:16am
  • Topics: Crisis Management, Iraq, Public Diplomacy, Video News Releases, U.S. Government

    • More examples of the Bush administration's manipulation of news spilled out into U.S. newspapers last week. Raising further questions about how the White House continues to spin its "War on Terror," the Los Angeles Times reported on November 30 the U.S. military "is secretly paying Iraqi newspapers to publish stories written by American troops in an effort to burnish the image of the U.S.

    Roche Gets PR Help For Tamiflu

    by Laura Miller — November 8, 2005 - 5:45pm

    "Fleishman-Hillard is counseling Roche, which now says it is doing everything possible to meet the demand for Tamiflu, according to Michael Rinaldo, head of F-H's health group in New York," O'Dwyer's PR Daily reports.

    Main Source: 
    O'Dwyer's PR Daily (sub req'd), November 8, 2005

    Crisis Management Rule #1: Change the Subject

    by Diane Farsetta — September 29, 2005 - 10:40am

    "A Texas grand jury's decision to indict former Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) may have caught many people in Washington off-guard, but those in DeLay's inner circle had spent the past few days bracing themselves," reports The Hill. "Minutes after the announcement came, DeLay's closest and strongest supporters began mounting a defense.

    Main Source: 
    The Hill, September 29, 2005

    Psy-ops For Sale

    by Laura Miller — September 21, 2005 - 12:23am

    "Strategic Communication Laboratories, a small U.K. firm specializing in 'influence operations' made a very public debut this week with a glitzy exhibit occupying prime real estate at Defense Systems & Equipment International, or DSEI, the United Kingdom's largest showcase for military technology.

    Main Source: 
    Slate, September 19, 2005

    Wal-Mart's Good Deeds

    by Sheldon Rampton — September 18, 2005 - 9:58pm

    Wal-Mart Stores "is enjoying its best publicity in years as even its harshest critics laud the retailer's Hurricane Katrina relief efforts," reports Emily Kaiser. And the company is planning a "secret spin strategy to counter a union-backed, anti-Wal-Mart media blitz" that accuses the company of paying poverty-level wages and driving competitors out of business.

    Main Source: 
    Reuters, September 15, 2005

    Spinning A Disaster

    by Bob Burton — September 9, 2005 - 2:25am

    The Director of Crisis Media for the PR firm Hill & Knowlton, Paul Clark, had a few words of advice on crisis management for public officials handling the Hurricane Katrina disaster. "One of the first concepts is to accept blame if it applies ... people forgive mistakes, but they don't forgive excuses," Clark told the St.

    Main Source: 
    St. Petersburg Times, September 8, 2005

    Managing the Media Crisis

    by Diane Farsetta — September 6, 2005 - 12:40pm

    "The White House rolled out a plan this weekend to contain political damage from the administration's response to Hurricane Katrina," reports the New York Times.

    Main Source: 
    New York Times, September 5, 2005

    Merck Toots Its Own Horn

    by Diane Farsetta — November 21, 2004 - 11:00pm

    Merck's PR campaign around the Vioxx recall includes "three full-page ads in seven prominent newspapers," "several television appearances," and "testimony before Congress by the company's chief executive." But the president of a New York crisis-management firm says, "They really need some third-party endorsements."

    Main Source: 
    Associated Press, November 22, 2004
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