They Call it an “Ambush”

Erik Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, Crisis Prevention, Crisis Response, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, Judy Hoffman, media training, public relations, reputation management 1 Comment

Crucial crisis management advice for a common conundrum Editor’s note: Many thanks to crisis management/community relations pro Judy Hoffman for allowing us to publish the following article. Perhaps you have heard the term “ambush interview.”  It can mean several different things to media trainers like myself. The dictionary defines ambush as …

Rumors Cause Crisis Management Catastrophe

Erik Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, crisis preparation, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, media training, public relations, reputation management, social media Leave a Comment

Catch trouble early to prevent crisis management nightmares It was a blood-boiler of a story, a menacing tale of government gone too far: The Environmental Protection Agency was spying on Midwestern farmers with the same aerial “drones” used to kill terrorists overseas. This month, the idea has been repeated in …

A Crisis in One Culture May Be Commonplace in Another

Erik Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, crisis preparation, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, media training, Olympics, public relations, reputation management, social media, Tony Jaques 1 Comment

It depends on the culture [Editor’s note:  We’re pleased to bring you this article from crisis consultant Tony Jaques.] While the Internet and online technology is rapidly flattening out cultural differences, an incident in Australia provides a reminder that what might be commonplace in one country can trigger a reputational …

Crisis Management Takes Communication

Erik Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, crisis preparation, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, media training, public relations, reputation management, social media Leave a Comment

Become the source or risk your reputation Today’s public expects immediate answers. They want to hear about a crisis, type a few words into Google, and have the full story pop up. If they don’t get that, they’re headed to Twitter and Facebook to see what information is available, or …

The Crisis Show Episode 2 — All the News that’s Fit to Criticize

Erik Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, crisis preparation, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, Jonathan Bernstein, media training, online reputation management, public relations, reputation management, social media, The Crisis Show Leave a Comment

Three pros bring crisis management to your computer or tv, live and archived The Crisis Show’s second episode is up for those of you who missed the live broadcast last night. This week, hosts Jonathan Bernstein, Rich Klein, and Melissa Agnes had plenty of fodder. To kick things off our …

Worst. PR Guy. Ever.

Erik Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, crisis preparation, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, media training, PR, public relations, reputation management Leave a Comment

Creating a crisis with hamfisted media handling When Mike Elk, reporter for In These Times, headed to an event to question Honeywell CEO Dave Cote on labor issues, the last thing he expected was to be caught in an incident worthy of prime-time TV. Let’s give you the lead-in first…here’s …

The Crisis Show

Erik Bernstein crisis communications, crisis litigation, crisis management, crisis preparation, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, litigation-related PR, media training, PR, public relations, reputation management, risk assessment, risk management, social media, strategic reputation management, The Crisis Show Leave a Comment

Talk crisis management with the pros Tonight marks the first episode of The Crisis Show, a broadcast featuring the talents of Bernstein Crisis Management president Jonathan Bernstein, crisis/litigation expert Rich Klein and social media pro Melissa Agnes. Together, they will provide crisis management analysis for high profile and currently breaking …

District Embraces Crisis Management Training

Erik Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, crisis preparation, Crisis Prevention, Crisis Response, disaster preparedness Leave a Comment

Planning for crises saves lives Despite the horrific incidents of school violence that have taken place in recent years, many institutions remain unprepared for crisis management when it comes to assaults on campus. Some, however, are investing in the safety of their students and staff. Check out this account of …

Crisis Management for Cruise Lines

Erik Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, crisis preparation, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, public relations, reputation management Leave a Comment

Ignoring a growing need for crisis management is bad for business The cruise line industry is notorious for its pricing.  Every cruise is promoted as being a deal. 2-for-1 offers. 60 percent off. An 82 percent savings. But a savings of what and two for what? Everybody loves a bargain, …

JP Morgan’s Crisis Management Flop

Erik Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, JP Morgan, PR, public relations, reputation management Leave a Comment

Denial leads to disaster for J.P. Morgan J.P. Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon has been in the hot seat for over a month now, with the media spotlight firmly affixed to his firm’s mounting losses. When interviewed by sources like The Wall Street Journal in early April regarding questionable trading moves, …

Twitter Vengeance Leads to Crisis Management

Erik Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, crisis preparation, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, media training, online reputation management, public relations, reputation management, social media Leave a Comment

Protect yourself from social media attacks The ease of use and relative anonymity of Twitter has made it into the perfect engine for those with grievances, even unfounded ones, to bring their issues into the public spotlight and give someone’s name a quick run through the mud. This is probably …

Crisis Management for Mad Cow

Erik Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, crisis preparation, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, public relations, reputation management Leave a Comment

USDA demonstrates solid crisis management United States Government agencies are finally embracing crisis management, with organizations from the military to FEMA and more engaging stakeholders in honest and open communication. Today’s story comes from the USDA, whose deft handling of the most recent incident of BSE (aka Mad Cow Disease) …

The Crisis Management Freeway

Erik Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, crisis preparation, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, public relations, reputation management Leave a Comment

It takes confidence to achieve crisis management success Crisis management requires not only skill and wits, but also confidence. The following quote, from an Adam Black article, provides a fitting analogy: Do not try to confront the crisis halfheartedly. Once you have made up your mind, move forward confidently. Experts …

Practice Crisis Management Before #&%@ Happens

Erik Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, crisis preparation, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, PR, public relations, reputation management Leave a Comment

Be prepared before a crisis hits The worst time to test your crisis plan is in the midst of an actual crisis. Best practices call for anticipating every conceivable crisis that might threaten your organization, assembling your senior line managers and simulating how they respond in real time. We’ve worked …

Forward Thinking Means Better Crisis Management

Erik Bernstein crisis avoidance strategy, crisis communications, crisis management, crisis preparation, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, public relations, reputation management, risk assessment, risk management Leave a Comment

Plan ahead to protect yourself When we sit down to discuss crisis management with clients, one of the first steps we take is to have them list what they see as their vulnerabilities. From internal problems like disgruntled employees and mechanical breakdowns, to external issues like supply line disruptions or …