Televangelist Pat Robertson is no stranger to controversy. Last month, though, the Christian Broadcasting Network founder, who is a regular in the media, really outdid himself. Known for delivering quotes which would cause any traditional businesses' crisis management team to blow several blood vessels, his latest comments earned him one of Merrie Spaeth's Bimbo Awards:
“They got together and swore a pact with the devil… ever since they have been cursed by one thing after the other,” said televangelist Pat Robertson about the earthquake in Haiti. (This is an example of forgetting that one audience can overhear comments made to another. What is familiar to those speaking the language of sin and damnation seems over-the-top and outrageous to those who don’t. Rev. Robertson went on to talk about how the Dominican Republic is prosperous and thriving, but Haiti is desperate. His main pitch was to “help the suffering people and the suffering is unimaginable.”) Huffington Post, “Pat Robertson: Haiti ‘Cursed’ by ‘Pact To The Devil’” January 12, 2010
There is no way that anyone could construe this statement as positive or helpful in any way. Coming from a man claiming to be a paragon of virtue, this type of quote does nothing but further taint an already tarnished reputation.
The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Demon Sheep Cause Crisis
Carly Fiorina's "Demon Sheep" ad, part of her campaign targeted at landing one of California's Senate seats, is getting a lot of attention. Unfortunately for her, this type of attention usually means you'll be spending a lot of time with your crisis management team. Here's a sample of one reaction, from the Huffington Post:
Seriously, what the Fiorina campaign should be doing is firing everyone involved with this ad -- you know, for calling fiscal conservatives sheep, for making some poor guy crawl around in a field, for attempting to create buzz over this crazy acronym "FCINO," which stands for Fiscal Conservative In Name Only -- but for my own sake, I'm glad this doesn't seem to be happening.
Despite the fact that the video is already being used by Fiorina's competition as material for their own campaigns, she pledges to move forward with even more shocking videos. We definitely haven't seen the end of this story!
The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/
Seriously, what the Fiorina campaign should be doing is firing everyone involved with this ad -- you know, for calling fiscal conservatives sheep, for making some poor guy crawl around in a field, for attempting to create buzz over this crazy acronym "FCINO," which stands for Fiscal Conservative In Name Only -- but for my own sake, I'm glad this doesn't seem to be happening.
Despite the fact that the video is already being used by Fiorina's competition as material for their own campaigns, she pledges to move forward with even more shocking videos. We definitely haven't seen the end of this story!
The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/
Friday, February 5, 2010
John Edwards' Crisis Management Emergency
The ball of sordid tales and blatant lies that makes up one-time vice presidential candidate John Edward's personal life continues to unravel in the public eye, and with it goes a reputation and image which had been carefully pieced together through years of work. In an article for The Atlantic, Nicole Allan and Niraj Chokshi interviewed BCM President Jonathan Bernstein on the subject of Edward's unlikely recovery:
Earlier in the career of Jonathan L. Bernstein of Bernstein Crisis Management, he was approached by people representing the recently deposed Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos. "If anybody approached me on behalf of Edwards, I'd tell them the same thing I told Marcos' people: 'I don't think there's anything I can do for you right now.' That said, I think if he can drop under the public radar for a period of some years, get involved in some charitable do-gooding activities, and not do anything else that he could be criticized for, ultimately he could rehabilitate himself. Bill Clinton did."
Other experts interviewed seemed to agree that only the passage of time and some serious do-gooding may help Edwards with crisis management. He also needs to put down the shovel.
The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/
Earlier in the career of Jonathan L. Bernstein of Bernstein Crisis Management, he was approached by people representing the recently deposed Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos. "If anybody approached me on behalf of Edwards, I'd tell them the same thing I told Marcos' people: 'I don't think there's anything I can do for you right now.' That said, I think if he can drop under the public radar for a period of some years, get involved in some charitable do-gooding activities, and not do anything else that he could be criticized for, ultimately he could rehabilitate himself. Bill Clinton did."
Other experts interviewed seemed to agree that only the passage of time and some serious do-gooding may help Edwards with crisis management. He also needs to put down the shovel.
The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Including Employees in Crisis Management
How your company communicates with its staff, clients and customers defines whether they respond by rising up in unison to support the business, or instead spread gossip on coffee breaks, complain loudly and publicly, and turn to the competition for inspiration.
Nowadays crisis communications are a proven concept and their potential for motivating people is undisputed. It’s pretty obvious, for example, that in order to guide an organisation out of trouble, both the guys on the shop floor and the people buying your stuff need to understand and relate to your plans.
This quote from an article on The Marketer's website is an excellent explanation of the reasons it is important to consider your employees just as much as your customers when creating crisis management plans. Because every member of an organization (and every one of their friends, family, Twitter followers, Facebook contacts, etc.) is a PR representative whether you want them to be or not, it pays to take care that they are happy and informed.
The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/
Nowadays crisis communications are a proven concept and their potential for motivating people is undisputed. It’s pretty obvious, for example, that in order to guide an organisation out of trouble, both the guys on the shop floor and the people buying your stuff need to understand and relate to your plans.
This quote from an article on The Marketer's website is an excellent explanation of the reasons it is important to consider your employees just as much as your customers when creating crisis management plans. Because every member of an organization (and every one of their friends, family, Twitter followers, Facebook contacts, etc.) is a PR representative whether you want them to be or not, it pays to take care that they are happy and informed.
The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/
Grieving Woman Put in Lockdown by Employer
Starting yesterday, my firm started implementing a traditional and social media crisis management program on behalf of The Gillaw Law Firm in Los Angeles. It is not often I can openly talk about cases I work on, and this is a touching story, a "Delilah v. Goliath" tale described in the press release below, and on the website listed in that release. Take a look, and tell me what you think!
JB
Jonathan Bernstein
Grieving woman with PTSD requests unpaid leave,
instead put in psych lock-down by employer Westfield Holdings
LOS ANGELES-February 4, 2010-Kay Morris-Robertson, a British national and former executive with Westfield Holdings, began to suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after her husband died suddenly of a heart attack right in front of her, as they were sailing off the coast of Southern California. She was in an executive position in Los Angeles at Westfield Holdings, part of the Westfield Group (ASX:WDC), known as the $62 billion operator of 119 shopping centers in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. As a result of her experience, she asked her supervisor for unpaid leave. He gave her more work instead.
When Morris Robertson wrote a despairing email about her feelings, her supervisor called the police and provided them with false information that led to her being taken away in handcuffs and held against her will in a psychological detention unit.
That's just part of the shocking story outlined in a lawsuit filed on Morris-Robertson's behalf by The Gillam Law Firm.
Among other allegations, the complaint charges that despite notifying her Westfield supervisor that she had been diagnosed with PTSD in November 2008, Morris-Robertson was never informed of her rights under the Family Medical Leave Act or the California Family Rights Act. When she asked for unpaid leave to attend therapy sessions in order to cope with her disability, she was threatened with termination by her Westfield supervisor. Her first visit to a PTSD therapist which she had located on her own was prevented when Westfield supervisors interceded and had her detained by police, even though she was not on their premises and had taken the day off to seek medical treatment. She was placed in a psychological detention unit against her will and held for several days with no opportunity to notify her family of her whereabouts, exacerbating her PTSD condition.
Morris-Robertson's complaint lists a litany of alleged charges against her Westfield employers, including Failure to Accommodate Disability; Failure to Engage in Interactive Process; Disability Discrimination; Violation of California Family Rights Act; Retaliation in Violation of California Family Rights Act; Wrongful Constructive Termination in Violation of Public Policy; Harassment; Negligence; False Imprisonment; Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress; Invasion of Privacy; Internationally Giving False Information; and Gender Discrimination.
The complaint and other background information is online at www.morrisvswestfield.com.
Contact for The Gillam Law Firm:
Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc.
Bruce Bonafede, +1 (760) 831-5080
Jonathan Bernstein, +1 (626) 825-3838
media@morrisvswestfield.com
JB
Jonathan Bernstein
Grieving woman with PTSD requests unpaid leave,
instead put in psych lock-down by employer Westfield Holdings
LOS ANGELES-February 4, 2010-Kay Morris-Robertson, a British national and former executive with Westfield Holdings, began to suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after her husband died suddenly of a heart attack right in front of her, as they were sailing off the coast of Southern California. She was in an executive position in Los Angeles at Westfield Holdings, part of the Westfield Group (ASX:WDC), known as the $62 billion operator of 119 shopping centers in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. As a result of her experience, she asked her supervisor for unpaid leave. He gave her more work instead.
When Morris Robertson wrote a despairing email about her feelings, her supervisor called the police and provided them with false information that led to her being taken away in handcuffs and held against her will in a psychological detention unit.
That's just part of the shocking story outlined in a lawsuit filed on Morris-Robertson's behalf by The Gillam Law Firm.
Among other allegations, the complaint charges that despite notifying her Westfield supervisor that she had been diagnosed with PTSD in November 2008, Morris-Robertson was never informed of her rights under the Family Medical Leave Act or the California Family Rights Act. When she asked for unpaid leave to attend therapy sessions in order to cope with her disability, she was threatened with termination by her Westfield supervisor. Her first visit to a PTSD therapist which she had located on her own was prevented when Westfield supervisors interceded and had her detained by police, even though she was not on their premises and had taken the day off to seek medical treatment. She was placed in a psychological detention unit against her will and held for several days with no opportunity to notify her family of her whereabouts, exacerbating her PTSD condition.
Morris-Robertson's complaint lists a litany of alleged charges against her Westfield employers, including Failure to Accommodate Disability; Failure to Engage in Interactive Process; Disability Discrimination; Violation of California Family Rights Act; Retaliation in Violation of California Family Rights Act; Wrongful Constructive Termination in Violation of Public Policy; Harassment; Negligence; False Imprisonment; Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress; Invasion of Privacy; Internationally Giving False Information; and Gender Discrimination.
The complaint and other background information is online at www.morrisvswestfield.com.
Contact for The Gillam Law Firm:
Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc.
Bruce Bonafede, +1 (760) 831-5080
Jonathan Bernstein, +1 (626) 825-3838
media@morrisvswestfield.com
AA's Crisis Management Prep Pays Off
A false Twitter post, sent out shortly after the Haiti earthquake, stating that American Airlines was offering free flights to the island, caused the company to be flooded with phone calls, emails and many, many Tweets. The problem was exacerbated when popular Tweeters, including film critic Roger Ebert, re-Tweeted the original message. This story ends well though, as this quote from a Dallas News article explains:
American acted quickly, directing tweets to major news outlets warning them that the free flights rumor was not true, Vary said. The airline also used its own Twitter feed, AAirwaves, to combat the buzz.
Not long after Ebert's post, reporters for The New York Times began cautioning their Twitter followers about the free flight rumor. A day later, CNN posted a Web story about the mistaken tweet.
American’s crisis management was greatly enhanced by the company’s having the foresight to create social media channels before an issue arose. By having these in place, they were able to quickly and effectively clarify the situation without any serious reputation damage taking place.
The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/
American acted quickly, directing tweets to major news outlets warning them that the free flights rumor was not true, Vary said. The airline also used its own Twitter feed, AAirwaves, to combat the buzz.
Not long after Ebert's post, reporters for The New York Times began cautioning their Twitter followers about the free flight rumor. A day later, CNN posted a Web story about the mistaken tweet.
American’s crisis management was greatly enhanced by the company’s having the foresight to create social media channels before an issue arose. By having these in place, they were able to quickly and effectively clarify the situation without any serious reputation damage taking place.
The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/
Monday, February 1, 2010
Navy Needs Crisis Management
When 7,000 people sue you, there is a lot of crisis management in your future, even if you're the U.S. Navy. The landmark lawsuit, which involves much of the population of Vieques, Puerto Rico, alleges that the six decades of weapons testing the Navy did there has caused residents to develop cancers and other illnesses. To help their cause, the plaintiffs have several very vocal experts and witnesses who are making the media rounds, including ex-Marine Hermogenes Marrero, quoted here in a CNN.com article:
Because he no longer lives on Vieques, Marrero is not one of the plaintiffs but has given sworn testimony in the case. He said the weapons used on the island included napalm; depleted uranium, a heavy metal used in armor-piercing ammunition; and Agent Orange, the defoliant used on the Vietnamese jungles that was later linked to cancer and other illnesses in veterans.
"We used to store it in the hazardous material area," Marrero said. It was used in Vieques as a defoliant for the fence line.
The military's crisis response can vary from excellent to amateurish. This situation demonstrates the latter. Eventually, someone's head will have to come out of the sand and stop letting the lawyers negatively imp;act reputation.
The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/
Because he no longer lives on Vieques, Marrero is not one of the plaintiffs but has given sworn testimony in the case. He said the weapons used on the island included napalm; depleted uranium, a heavy metal used in armor-piercing ammunition; and Agent Orange, the defoliant used on the Vietnamese jungles that was later linked to cancer and other illnesses in veterans.
"We used to store it in the hazardous material area," Marrero said. It was used in Vieques as a defoliant for the fence line.
The military's crisis response can vary from excellent to amateurish. This situation demonstrates the latter. Eventually, someone's head will have to come out of the sand and stop letting the lawyers negatively imp;act reputation.
The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/
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