While broad-ranging crisis tools sound like an ideal solution, some crisis pros say they’re years away. It will take time for tech to catch up with crisis needs.
Crisis Insider

The Human Touch is Necessary: An All-Inclusive Tool Remains Elusive…for Now
February 15th, 2022 by Nicole Schuman
Crises Linger for Confused Spotify, Tone-Deaf Better.com and Rugby Team
February 14th, 2022 by Seth ArensteinIn gest, but only partly, the last weeks of 2021 and first days of 2022 offer enough botched PR and PR crises to assemble a March Madness-style ranking.

Compliance Tools, Social Listening Help Internal Comms Pros in Crisis
December 21st, 2021 by Nicole SchumanInternal communication has become a critical part of how companies think about crisis. As we know, some of the best ways to limit damage from a crisis are planning and preparing. Thinking through potential crisis situations, creating a response plan and practicing regularly can help an organization reduce fallout from a crisis or reputation disaster, if not avoid it from happening in the first place.

Terms You Need to Know [December 2021]
December 21st, 2021 by Seth ArensteinIn this month’s edition, we focus on RTO, Bookcase Credibility, Zoombie and CBP.

The Crisis Lessons of 2021: Truth, Empathy and Promptnesss
December 21st, 2021 by Deborah HilemanWe expected good things from 2021. Instead, it delivered large doses of frustrating virus protocols, political turmoil, mistrust, disinformation and reputation gaffes. Classic PR blunders generated headlines when leaders failed to learn from history. Here are a few cautionary tales as we look to 2022.

61% of PR Pros Ready for Crisis; Besides COVID, Top Worries: DEI, Cyber, Disinfo
December 20th, 2021 by Seth ArensteinSome learnings emerged from our survey of nearly 300 communicators conducted in October and November 2021. The most newsworthy was what issues are concerning crisis pros. Besides COVID, they include: DEI, misinformation/disinformation, activism, cyber, natural disasters and employee/executive misconduct.

December’s Crises Show Direct Approach Works Best
December 20th, 2021 by Seth ArensteinThe holidays arrived early for crisis communication fans. There was no shortage of stories to peruse. All featured ghosts of crises past, whose protagonists we’ve covered in Crisis Insider.

Crisis PR Needs Diverse Talent in ’22, Quick Response from Humanitarian Comms Pros
December 20th, 2021 by Seth ArensteinThis month’s dialogue takes a slight variation from our usual route. We won’t explore an operational topic, such as ‘What to do during a crisis when your CEO goes off-script.’ Instead, as it’s nearly 2022, we’ve asked two crisis communicators to consider 2021 trends and discuss what they believe 2022 will bring. Our dialoguers are Sonia Diaz, SVP, Balsera Communications and president, Hispanic Public Relations Association USA (HPRA) and Jenelle Eli, senior director, media relations + international communications, American Red Cross.

A Plan for Teaming with IT to Build a Communicator-Led Cyber Regime
November 16th, 2021 by Michael Harley and Cortney StapletonViewing the threat of ransomware through numbers illustrates its gravity. It takes an average of 280 days to identify and contain a breach and costs $1.85 million to remediate, double the 2020 figure. More than half (52 percent) of all breaches are deemed malicious.
More than half of organizations compromised in the past three years deployed some form of automated security system. This suggests that technology alone is not enough. The IT team must purposefully build, review and test a cybersecurity plan. So, how can communicators contribute? They can partner with experts to clearly explain this complex topic to the C-suite and employees.

Barclays Puts Boss Out to Sea After He Sails 2x to Jeffrey Epstein’s Private Island
November 16th, 2021 by Seth ArensteinJes Staley wasn’t the first financial-sector heavyweight to step down after reports surfaced that he had ties with the late, notorious Jeffrey Epstein. Preceding the CEO of Barclays to the exits was billionaire Leon Black, CEO and chairman of Apollo Global Management, a private equity firm. Similarities between the Staley and Black stories are useful for crisis communicators.