Crisis Management

Practicing for Disaster

by Sheldon Rampton — January 19, 2003 - 11:00pm

When they aren't helping clients cope with real disasters, PR professionals hone their skills by simulating fake ones and rehearsing their responses. PR Week recounts the advice of "four seasoned crisis experts" as they respond to a disease outbreak at a fictional seafood plant.

Main Source: 
PR Week, January 20, 2003

Managing those Pesky Activists

by Sheldon Rampton — January 5, 2003 - 11:00pm

PR Week continues the industry's preoccupation with managing activism with a variety of articles examining the strategies activists use to advance their causes, "the proactive approach to averting protests," and an article on corporate social responsibility titled "CSR: Beyond Lip Service."

Main Source: 
PR Week, January 6, 2003

Working for the Pipeline

by Sheldon Rampton — December 30, 2002 - 11:00pm

Chlopak, Leonard, Schechter & Assocs., a PR firm that specializes in crisis management, is helping energy companies fend off environmentalist and human rights groups that oppose a planned 400-mile pipeline in Peru that will pass through indigenous homelands in the Amazon rainforest. CLSA's other clients have included the Arthur Andersen accounting firm during the Enron scandal.

Main Source: 
O'Dwyer's PR Daily, December 31, 2002

Corporate Credibility, PR-Style

by Sheldon Rampton — December 29, 2002 - 11:00pm

"No less than three 'corporate credibility' seminars involving PR/IR pros have popped up as panelists scratch their heads, trying to find ways to win back public trust in corporations in the wake of Enron, Worldcom, etc.," reports O'Dwyer's PR Daily.

Main Source: 
O'Dwyer's PR Daily, December 30, 2002

Qorvis PR in Turmoil Over Saudis, Three Partners Quit

by John Stauber — December 5, 2002 - 11:00pm

"Saudi Arabia's latest public relations
problem may be with its public relations firm. Three of the founding partners in the Washington firm, Qorvis Communications, have announced that they are leaving, and associates say their departure reflects a deep
discomfort in representing the government of Saudi Arabia
against accusations that Saudi leaders have turned a blind
eye to terrorism. The firm, hired by the Saudi government in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, has been paid about $200,000 a month
to help the Saudis bolster their battered image with the
American public.

Main Source: 
New York Times, December 6, 2002

Who Ya Gonna Trust?

by Sheldon Rampton — November 28, 2002 - 11:00pm

A major global public opinion survey suggests that trust in many key institutions has fallen to critical proportions. The survey of 36,000 people conducted by Gallup International and Environics International reveals a dramatic lack of trust in democratic institutions and global and large national companies; and trust is even low when it comes to non-governmental organizations (NGOs), trade unions and media organizations around the world.

Main Source: 
http://www.weforum.org/site/homepublic.nsf/Content/E9BAFCCB6334E204C1256C6900487...

More PR Help for Catholic Sex Abuse

by Sheldon Rampton — October 28, 2002 - 11:00pm

Guthrie/Mayes PR is helping the Archdiocese of Louisville handle its sex abuse crisis. Eight of the Archdiocese's 182 priests have been "permanently removed" from their ministries. Other clients of Guthrie/Mayes include Philip Morris, Toyota, Eli Lilly and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts.

Main Source: 
O'Dwyer's PR Daily, October 29, 2002

Tainted Turkey? Call In The Flacks

by Laura Miller — October 15, 2002 - 10:00pm

Wampler Foods, a unit of poultry producer Pilgrim's Pride, has hired Edelman PR Worldwide to help handle a recall crisis, according to O'Dwyer's PR. Over the weekend, Pilgrim's Pride recalled 27.4 million pounds of cooked sandwich meat, primarily sold under the Wampler brand. The Wall Street Journal reports that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have traced a deadly strain of listeria bacteria to a Pilgrim's Pride plant in Franconia, Pennsylvania. This is the largest meat recall in U.S. history.

Main Source: 
O'Dwyer's PR Daily, October 16, 2002; Wall Street Journal, October 16, 2002

The "Sgt. Schultz" Defense

by Sheldon Rampton — October 4, 2002 - 10:00pm

Enron CEO Ken Lay and Global Crossing CEO Gary Winnick are both claiming that they knew nothing about the billion-dollar shortfalls, deceptive accounting and other problems at their companies. Experts say ignorance is a "potentially effective legal strategy," even though "you should expect chairmen to be aware of major factors affecting the business." After all, isn't that why they pay them the big bucks?

Main Source: 
San Francisco Chronicle, October 5, 2002

I Want My SUV

by Laura Miller — September 29, 2002 - 10:00pm

New York Times reporter Keith Bradsher's new book "High and Mighty -- SUVs: The World's Most Dangerous Vehicles and How They Got That Way" hit bookstores September 17. Yet before its release, reporters began receiving a 15-page memo titled "SUV Allegations and Facts." According to the Corporate Crime Reporter the memo "seeks to mislead reporters with quotes taken out of context." The source of the attack memo is Washington DC-based PR firm Strat@comm, which counts as clients DaimlerChrysler, Ford, GM, and a number of auto industry trade groups.

Main Source: 
Corporate Crime Reporter, September 30, 2002; PR Week, September 30, 2002
Syndicate content