42% of Sarah Palin's Emails Are "Uninteresting"
The buzz seems to be fading. According to the Guardian, 42% of over 6,000 pages of Sarah Palin's emails scanned as of June 14 are "uninteresting." Over 24,000 pages of the former governor of Alaska's emails have been released for public perusal.
Here are a few mildly interesting ones for business communication students:
- December 6, 2008: Apparently, Palin didn't have access to the email account "Governor Sarah Palin."
- March 10, 2008: Palin seems to care about following up with constituents.
- February 17, 2008: Palin compliments her former director of boards and commissions.
- January, 13, 2007: Many emails are redacted, causing a few questions.
Discussion Starters:
- Why do you think Sarah Palin's email is of such interest to the press? Do you find her communications interesting? Why or why not?
- Consider your own email communication. Have you written anything in the past year that you would regret if you saw it on Facebook?
Videos for Chapter 5: Improving Your Writing Style
Just for fun:
- "Real Marketing Genius" to illustrate overuse of jargon/buzz words
- Scene from The Office to illustrate overuse of jargon
Common Craft creates videos using graphics and simple, concrete language to explain complex topics.
Company Examples for Chapter 8: Bad-News Messages
Medium CEO Announces Layoffs and a New Company Direction (March 2017) 
If you're looking for emotional appeal in a layoff announcement, Ev Williams' post on Medium about Medium is a good example. He uses plenty of emotional language and balances the bad news with optimism for the company going forward. He's also forthcoming about past failures.
Ralph Lauren CEO Leaves the Company (February 2017)
In a clear, honest press release, Ralph Lauren announces the departure of a CEO. Stefan Larsson was hired from Old Navy, but he and the company company founder couldn't agree on a way to boost revenue and stave off declining sales. The statement is a refreshing change from other announcements that give no reason or invent reasons for a CEO departure, for example, "to pursue other interests."
Ten Thousand Villages Announces Store Closings (January 2017)
Non-profit fair trade organization Ten Thousand Villages sent an email to announce store closings and downsizing at the corporate office. The message covers the basics, but the main point is in the second paragraph, and I wonder how enthusiastic people will feel about the organization's future.
Nestlé Recalls Drumsticks (October 2016)
This is a typical recall notice-one of many each year.
The Secretary of Education Tells Students About ITT Closing (September 2016)
Sadly, students can relate to this situation. When ITT decided to close its campuses, the secretary of education sent this message to affected students.
Data Breach Affects Hotel Properties (August 2016)
Here's a typical data breach notification-also one of many each year. This one affected hotels owned and operated by HEI.
I have distributed several security breach emails and asked students to compare them. They notice subtle differences based on the situation and company culture.
Carrier Announces Layoffs (February 2016)
A painful, but important video showing Carrier executives telling employees their jobs are moving to Mexico. The situation became politicized when President Trump negotiated with the company to save some of the jobs, although the number is in question.
Older Examples
Written Messages
Layoff memo and email examples:
- Intel, 2006
- MySpace, 2009
- Starbucks, 2009, with annotations (indirect organizational plan)
- Time Inc., 2007 (shows cascading communication)
- Yahoo, 2008 (also see PPT slides sent to managers, download)
- Yahoo, 2010 (this time with capital letters!)
- Yahoo, 2012 (yet another)
- AOL, 2011
- LA Times, 2011
- Yahoo, 2012
- RealNetworks, 2012 (posted to Facebook)
- Microsoft, 2014
- Microsoft, 2015
Emails to customers about email security breach. Download 14 versions of this communication. Useful to show different companies' approaches to the same message (e.g., formatting, differences in tone, to what extent each is customized to the audience, level of detail, whether "Epsilon" is mentioned and how the company is described, etc.). I have asked students to work in small groups to compare three examples that I assign.
Sprint termination letter. Read more here: "Sprint breaks up with high-maintenance customers."
Fresh Direct explains service delivery failures following a snow storm.
Charles Trywhitt (British retailer) apologizes for a late order.
Agatha Christie refuses a request to speak. Background information here.
Three responses to an employee suggestion (written by students). Useful to discuss tone.
Messages from former UBS CEO: about the $2.3B loss and his subsequent resignation.
American Airlines communicates bankruptcy in a press release, memo to employees, and email to AAdvantage club members.
Lacoste responds to false coupon code issue.
World's longest rejection letter. Background information here.
Best Buy press release announcing CEO resignation.
Asiana Press Releases about the July 2013 crash.
Daily Voice email scheduling a conference call where layoffs would be announced. Great example of a style that is too indirect. Read more here.
Groupon CEO's farewell email to employees.
Yahoo's controversial email calling remote employees to the office.
Malaysia Airlines' statement about missing flight.
Emails about Heartbleed virus, 2014
Sears explains store closings, 2014.
More company responses to data breaches, 2015.
Blue Bell Creameries' news release about product recalls and news release about layoff decisions, 2015. (See also the CEO's video message.)
Video Examples
Opening scene from the movie Up in the Air (download). Useful to demonstrate the challenges of communicating bad news (layoffs). Beware of obscene language.
Another scene from Up in the Air: Ryan Bingham discusses his philosophy of communicating layoffs (download).
Geico commercial demonstrating a deceptive buffer.
Videos from the "United Breaks Guitars" incident, United Airlines' refusal to pay for a broken guitar and the disgruntled passenger's response:
- Overview of an HBS case
- Dave Carroll's first song
- Dave Carroll's second song
- Dave Carroll's statement
- Dave Carroll's website
News conference about Ebola in NYC, 2014.
Virgin Galactic news conference about the SpaceShip Two crash, 2014.
New McDonald's CEO Steve Easterbook admits performance issues, and the stock loses ground, 2015.
A French investigator discusses the Germanwings flight crash in a news conference, 2015.
AirAsia CEO apologizes to families of lost flight, 2015.
Blue Bell Creameries CEO announces layoff decision after recall, 2015.
Company Examples for Chapter 2: Intercultural and Team Communication
Google Memo Divides People on Diversity Issues (August 2017)
Also a good example of persuasive writing, the memo written by a Google software engineer illustrates controversy about diversity programs. The author argues that more women aren't in technology positions partly because of biological differences. He was fired, which conservatives say exemplifies Google's "cult-like" culture on the issue.
Ryan Getzlaf Calls Ref a Bad Name (May 2017) 
Hockey player Ryan Getzlaf apologized for muttering a offensive remark. He apologized in writing and in a video statement. How did he do?
Pepsi Commercial Starring Kendall Jenner Is Criticized (April 2017) 
Pepsi and Jenner took a lot of heat for a commercial that seems to minimize racism and mock the Black Lives Matter movement.
Uber Reveals Diversity Stats (March 2017)
Uber reports on its diversity in light of criticism. Charts compare technology companies and make for an interesting discussion.
Uber CEO Travis Kalanick Argues with a Drive (March 2017)
Not his most proud moment (although better than the 2013 "Miami Letter" discovered in 2017 in which he offers sex advice for employees before a company event). Kalanick had an altercation with a driver, which led to his promising to change his management approach.
Hyatt Regency Apologizes for Commenting on a Name (December 2016) 
A former student of mine, Karim Aboulenaga, faced insensitive comments about his name when checking into a Hyatt Regency. He posted the situation on LinkedIn and received an apology note, a fruit-and-cheese platter, and bottled water from the hotel front office manager. This is a good example of turning a situation around, and a class discussion would be interesting: did the recovery undo the damage? His update post on LinkedIn received almost 66,000 likes as of December 20.
USHG CEO Sends Email to Employees After the Election (November 2016)
Like former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, Danny Meyer, CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group, encouraged his employees to listen to each other after the contentious presidential election. His email was published on Eater.com. He refers to "enlightened hospitality" and gives examples of eye contact, smiling, and so on.
This is a good example of a CEO showing some vulnerability, but this in-class discussion can be tricky because it's a political topic. Freshmen and sophomores in my class handled it well.
Student's Blog Post About Racism Gets Attention (October 2016)
Another controversial one: A Suffolk University student was accused of plagiarism, and she wrote a blog post that went viral. According to the student, her professor returned a paper to her in front of the classroom and said, "This is not your language." She then reviewed her comments with her.
This example would contribute to an open discussion about racism and touches topics from Chapter 5 (word choice). The situation includes a response from the university, which is fairly well done, in my opinion.
Toyota Executives Show Cultural Differences in Email (January 2010)
This is from 2010, but I still use these emails in classes to illustrate cultural differences (and ethics and problems with email). The messages were made public when Toyota was charged with not disclosing accelerator issues that caused several accidents.
Older Examples
Male PWC employees in Dublin rate female employees via email. Read more about the situation here.
Apple CEO Tim Cook confirms that he's gay in a BloombergBusiness opinion letter, 2014.
Facebook's apology to the LGBT community, 2014.
Examples of racist emails circulated by officials in Ferguson, MO, 2015.
Company Examples for Chaptes 4 and 5: Writing Process and Style
NBA Responds to "Take a Knee Controversy" (October 2017)
The NBA commissioner held a news conference, and the deputy commissioner wrote a memo addressing issues around players kneeling during the national anthem at games. The memo is unclear, and the organization can be improved. Background and communications are posted here.
LinkedIn Announces New Terms (April 2017)
LinkedIn's attorney sent an email to announce new Terms of Service. The email does the job and the organization works well, but the writing style could be improved. 
Sears Remains Optimistic Despite Probable Hopelessness (December 2016)
Although analysts say Sears is "set to sink," the CFO remains optimistic. After identifying the audiences and objectives for Sears' communications, students can analyze several comments in this Yahoo article.
Business Clichés and Jargon (September 2016)
This infographic summarizes the latest business clichés and jargon to avoid.
Time's Jargony Layoff Announcement (August 2016)
Companies can't seem to resist "realignment," "leverage," and "content creation" in their layoff announcements, and Time doesn't disappoint:
Over the last couple of weeks, we have been realigning our organizational structure to better leverage our content creation, sales and marketing and brand development operations. Our primary objective has been to better position ourselves to operate with greater agility and optimize the growth areas of our operation. As a result, there will be some job eliminations. That is always painful but an unfortunate reality in today's business climate."
Geek Squad's Confusing Email (May 2016)
Few people read privacy notices, and I think I know why: this one from Geek Squad is a confusing mess. You can have some fun in class analyzing the audience and objectives and having students rewrite the message.
Video Examples Just for Fun
- "Real Marketing Genius" to illustrate overuse of jargon/buzz words
- Scene from the TV show The Office to illustrate overuse of jargon
- Weird Al's "Word Crimes"
Older Examples
Printed email (scanned) from Lutnick (CEO) and Weiss to all Cantor Fitzgerald employees. A friend found this on September 12, 2001, at Ground Zero. The singed edges show where the paper was burned. As he says, "There were many papers flying through the air that day." Cantor lost 658 employees on 9/11 (about two-thirds of its staff). Read more on Wikipedia.
List of best company blogs, by Mashable.
25,000 pages of Sarah Palin's emails released June 10, 2011. This site may have a more searchable archive. See related story.
Lawfirm emails that revealed overbilling. Good lessons here about what not to write in emails.
Letterown to the management of Cinemark from families of children killed in Aurora, CO. The letter responds to an invitation that the families didn't appreciate. Read more here.
New York Times CEO sends email to staff with his observations. Read more here.
Conde Nast email by CEO Chuck Townsend filled with "buzzy techno jargon," according to one employee. The memo is on page two of this article, and you can read more about the situation here.
Entertaining email exchange between Steve Jobs (Apple CEO) and a journalism student. She could use a lesson in tone and audience analysis. Read more about the situation here.
A few over-the-top emails: Business Wire message about clearing email inboxes, Oxford University rant about expense reports, and Cerner CEO's tirade to his management team. Here's a business case study and more background about the Cerner situation. Useful to discuss the value of revising and the potential negative consequences of email.
A few miscommunication examples just for fun:
- McDonald's or MoDonald's?(image here)
- Pants required for the board of directors meeting
- Free sides?
- Speling Bee certificate in Dallas County (image here)
- Shcool is open in Greensboro (image here)
- Unclear pronoun reference
- More on Funny Typos.
The Obama campaign's fundraising emails, criticized for their casual tone.
Jargon-filled Citigroup news release announcing 11,000 employee layoffs.
Amazon's service recovery email
Google executive Eric Schmidt's advice for managing email, 2014.
Blunt emails sent between Hillary Clinton's aid and Gawker, 2015.
Company Examples for Chapter 3: Interpersonal Communication Skills
Uber CEO Responds to Culture Questions (February 2017)
After a female engineer blasted Uber for its failure to address sexual harassment incidents, CEO Travis Kalanick wrote a message to employees. He has a big job in repairing the company's image at this point: a New York Times article called the culture "aggressive" and "unrestrained."
Wells Fargo's Failed Response (October 2106) 
By most counts, Wells Fargo handled the scandal about opening accounts for people without their permission badly. One big problem is how management ignored employee complaints about sales pressure and reports of wrongdoing. This email to customers lacks any real promise of change, and the TV commercial isn't much better.
Listening in Social Media (August 2016) 
What a great example of humor and listening online: Skyscanner travel app suggested a 47-year itinerary for a customer. He jokingly asked what he could do during the layover. Jen, the customer service rep didn't miss a beat: she's quick and fun, and includes her promise in the P.S. The post vent viral and Skyscanner won big points.
Older Examples
PowerPoint presentation showing the timeline of Kenneth Cole's Twitter gaffe. Adapted from Advertising Age. Useful to demonstrate listening through social media.
Transcript of a phone call between Wisconsin Governor and someone he believes is a donor. Read more about the prank call here.
Company Examples for Chapter 1: Understanding Business Communication
Princess Cruises Apologizes (December 2016)
Princess Cruises, owned by Carnival, published several messages to apologize for illegally dumping oil-contaminated waste into the ocean. The company's communications certainly are prolific, but how honestly do they admit wrongdoing, and how well do they rebuild the brand?
A comment posted on YouTube under the president's video sums up one perspective: "[T]his video needs taking down and a new one with someone who looks sorry is put up. [H]er reading of this is terrible, like watching a 12yr old at a school play." (The writer needs to take one of our courses! But students might agree with his assessment.)
These examples can be used to discuss persuasive strategies (Chapter 7), oral presentations (Chapter 11), and ethics (Chapter 1):
Marriott CEO Writes an Open Letter to President-Elect Donald Trump (November 2019)
Arne Sorenson's letter to President-elect Trump illustrates principles of persuasion (Chapter 7) and can be used to discuss medium choice (Chapter 1). How does the letter reflect Marriott's business interests? Why did Sorenson choose LinkedIn?
OLDER EXAMPLES
Collection of companies' social media policies.
Apple's (leaked) social media policy.
Great email exchange by two lawyers (discussed in Chapter 1). Useful to discuss ethics, tone, and more. Here's a PowerPoint file to reveal the messages, and you can read more about the situation here.
Excerpts of Goldman Sachs emails (topic in Chapter 1) collected by the Wall Street Journal. As the WSJ reporter says, "The [Senate] committee will likely use many of the emails to illustrate Goldman's sometimes contradictory and unflattering statements about its role in the mortgage meltdown." Read more here.
National Labor Relations Board's memo about social media policies, 2012.
General Mills statement reverting back to its original legal terms.
A general's emailabout the value of reading. Read more about the situation.
Ellen Pao's controversial resignation from Reddit, 2015.
Facebook communications: Communicating Our Community Standards and Guidelines, 2015.
Former Twitter CEO Dick Costolo's posts taking responsibility for cyberbullying on the site, 2015.
Company Examples to Use in Your Classes
These examples demonstrate how companies use-or fail to use-business communication principles. More examples are included in news stories posted each week and will be added by chapter when discovered. Looking for videos only?
Chapter 1: Understanding BComm (Ethics Legal and Technology)
Chapter 2: Intercultural and Team Communication
Chapter 3: Interpersonal Communication Skills
Chapters 4 and 5: Writing Process and Style
Chapter 6: Neutral and Positive Messages
Chapter 7: Persuasive Messages
Chapters 9 and 10: Data Visuals and Reports
Chapter 12: Employment Communication
USDA Replaces Food Pyramid Graphic
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is trying a new graphic to help people understand healthy food choices. The pyramid graphic was thought to be confusing (well, yes, we see a person climbing a mountain with a pile of food at the bottom). The USDA's revised graphic is much simpler, showing just a plate with words to represent portions of food. To accompany the new communication, the USDA has a new website.
Discussion Starters:
- In what ways is the new graphic more effective than the old? How do you think people will react to the image?
- Read the USDA's summary of messages about nutrition. How effective do you find this summary for combating obesity? What ideas do you have for improving these messages?
Videos for Chapter 12: Employment Communication
Humorous videos for discussing responses to the interview question, "Tell me about yourself." Bad, ugly, and good.
Interviews with Rocco DiSpirito for a restaurant on former reality TV show The Restaurant. Illustrates overuse of "I'm a people person."
Video resume example.
Amusing "How You Really Sound" examples from job interviews, 2015.
Videos for Chapter 11: Oral Presentations
Ted Talks are great examples of engaging delivery styles and more. This spreadsheet ranks "engagement data" for Ted Talks and includes links to videos.
Presentation by Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Useful to demonstrate a conversational style with minimal visuals.
Queen Latifah on 30 Rock. Funny illustration of delivery skills without content from the TV show 30 Rock.
Borat's failed "not joke."
Celebrity news clips are useful to demonstrate exaggerated voice inflection: Access Hollywood and Showbiz Tonight.
Jim Cramer has his own brand of delivery. Useful for demonstrating emphasis, pauses, and variation in tone and speed.
Oprah Winfrey's tribute to Rosa Parks. Useful to discuss a natural delivery style when reading from a script. Also useful to demonstrate pace, pauses, humor, rhetorical devices, and more.
Dutchess Kate Middleton's first speech, 2012.
Apple CEO at the Worldwide Developers Conference, 2012.
Jamie Dimon, CEO, JPMorgan Chase, testifies about trading losses, 2012.
New York Mayor Bloomberg's news conference after Hurricane Sandy, 2012.
Miss Utah struggles with a question at the Miss USA Pageant, 2013.
Twitter CEO at University of Michigan commencement, 2013.
President Obama at White House Correspondents' Dinner, 2013.
Jodie Foster's emotional speech at the Golden Globes Awards, 2013.
Senator Marco Rubio's odd reach for water during the State of the Union Address response, 2013.
More than 300 commencement speeches.
NBA's Adam Smith NBA's Adam Smith responding to questions about Don Sterling LA Clippers controversy, 2014.
GM CEO Mary Barra addresses employees and answers tough questions about the company's failure to recall defective cars.
CVS CEO announces that stores will stop selling cigarette products.
Employee advocacy group criticizes McDonald's low pay, and an employee questions the USA president at a dinner event.
NFL Commissioner's discussion of the Ray Rice situation, 2014.
NY Governor Cuomo addresses prison break in a news conference, 2015.
President Obama's news conference about the Charleston, SC, shootings, 2015.
Popular commencement speeches, 2015.
President Obama at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, 2015.
Following Clinton's announcement, Marco Rubio announces his run for president, 2015.
In a non-traditional commercial, Hillary Clinton announces her run for president, 2015.
Ranked Oscar speeches, 2015.
Videos by Chapter
On these pages, you'll find several videos suggested for each chapter. Many of these are related to concepts or stories discussed in the book. Of course, additional videos are included in news stories posted each week.
I welcome suggestions for new videos and would appreciate knowing about any broken links. If you find these useful, I would like to hear how you're using them in your class. You may email me at anewman[at]bizcominthenews.com.
Chapter 1: Understanding Business Communication
Chapter 2: Intercultural and Team Communication
Chapter 3: Interpersonal Communication Skills
Chapter 4: The Writing Process
Chapter 5: Improving Your Writing Style
Chapter 6: Neutral and Positive Messages
Chapter 7: Persuasive Messages
Chapter 9: Planning the Report and Managing Data
Chapter 10: Writing the Report
Videos for Chapter 9: Planning the Report and Managing Data
Fabulous Ted Talk by David McCandless on different ways of visualizing data.
Comparing cup sizes in the movie Super Size Me (download). Useful for discussing data analysis and creating charts (Scene 7, 19:48 – 21:12).
Video demonstration of Gapminder World by Hans Rosling. Useful to show interactive displays of data. Here is Rosling's Ted Talk.
Videos for Chapter 7: Persuasive Messages
Giovanni Ribisi (Seth) in the movie Boiler Room sells stock to an unsuspecting buyer. Useful to show examples of logos, pathos, and ethos. Download the handout and possible answers.
Taco Bell CEO responds to criticism of the company's taco meat. Useful to discuss persuasion to restore image. Read more here. Here are two ads that accompanied the campaign.
Domino's president responds to the YouTube video posted by two employees. Useful to discuss persuasion to restore image. Watch an overview of the story and employee video.
AOL doesn't allow a customer to cancel his account. Here is AOL's apology/response. What is interesting about the story is that it isn't the first time AOL was cited for failing to cancel accounts on request.
British Petrolum's commercial after the oil spill, rated by the public. Useful to show the public's reaction to the ad. Read more here.
FedEx senior VP apologizes for the viral video of a PC monitor tossed over a fence.
Royal Caribbean reassures customers after the Costa Concordia accident.
Apple CEO Tim Cook responds to tax criticism.
Carnival Cruise CEO holds a news conference to explain the Triumph ship situation.
The NRA's press conference after the Newtown, CT, school shooting, 2013. Read more here.
GM CEO Mary Barra answers tough questions about product safety, 2014.
GM CEO Mary Barra's video message to employees, 2014.
McDonald's "Our Food, Your Questions" campaign, 2014.
Procter & Gamble's "Like a Girl" video, 2014.
Bill Cosby's discussion with AP about sexual assault allegations, 2014.
Dr. Oz's video response to criticism about his TV show and product promotion.
UK Cancer Research shows clever commercial about failing to detect cancer lumps, 2015.
Ober's false-cause fallacy, 2015.
Conan O'Brien pokes fun at Taco Bell (paid commercial), 2015.
JetBlue's video about plane etiquette, 2015.
Videos for Chapter 1: Understanding Business Communication
Mylan CEO defends 400% drug price hike.
Princess Cruises CEO apologizes for illegal dumping.
Stanford University study about multitasking. Useful to discuss noise and distractions that interfere with communication.
Scene from the movie Up in the Air where Natalie Keener and Ryan Bingham debate using videoconferencing to communicate layoffs: 20:07 – 25:48. (I can send the clip by email; it's too large to post here.)
"Flair" scene (13) from the movie Office Space (download). Useful to discuss barriers to communication. Referenced in Exercise 5.
Aggressive customer service at Aggresshop.
Video from the Deloitte Film Festival (example of using social media internally).
Kevin Smith discusses the "too fat to fly" incident on Southwest Airlines (example of using social networking to connect with customers).
Analyst from Southwest Airlines discusses the company's social media strategy.
Brian Williams interview with Matt Lauer about his questionable NBC reporting, 2105.
Sepp Blatter resigns from FIFA after corruption scandal, 2015.
Hillary Clinton discusses the controversy over her personal emails, 2015.
Videos for Chapter 8: Bad-News Messages
Opening scene from the movie Up in the Air (download). Useful to demonstrate the challenges of communicating bad news (layoffs). Beware of obscene language.
Another scene from Up in the Air: Ryan Bingham discusses his philosophy of communicating layoffs (download).
Geico commercial demonstrating a deceptive buffer.
Videos from the "United Breaks Guitars" incident, United Airlines' refusal to pay for a broken guitar and the disgruntled passenger's response:
- Overview of an HBS case
- Dave Carroll's first song
- Dave Carroll's second song
- Dave Carroll's statement
- Dave Carroll's website
News conference about Ebola in NYC, 2014.
Virgin Galactic news conference about the SpaceShip Two crash, 2014.
A French investigator discusses the Germanwings flight crash in a news conference, 2015.
AirAsia CEO apologizes to families of lost flight, 2015.
Blue Bell Creameries CEO announces layoff decision after recall, 2015.
Videos for Chapter 2: Intercultural and Team Communication
Uber CEO Travis Kalanick's altercation with a driver, 2017.
Pepsi's Commercial starring Kendall Jenner, 2017.
Hockey player Ryan Getzlaf apologizes for muttering a offensive remark, 2017
Toyota recalls:
- President Akio Toyoda in front of Congress, February 24, 2010.
- PBS News Hour discussion about Toyoda's apology (analysis of cultural differences).
President Obama's gaffe about the Special Olympics on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Read more about the situation here.
Scene from the movie Up in the Air about stereotyping.
Simple explanation of a wiki.
Overview and tutorial of the wiki Wiggio (wiggio.com).
Seven hotel CEOs talk about the importance of diversity.
Chef and TV personality Paula Deen's apology video. Read more about the situation here.
NBA Don Sterling's interview with Anderson Cooper about racial slurs, 2014.
Jonah Hill's apology for a homophobic slur, 2014.
Ferguson, MO, police chief apologizes to the family of Michael Brown, 2014.
Google video about unconscious bias, 2014.
Rachel Dolezal, president of Spokane, WA, NAACP chapter, talks about her racial identity, 2015.
ABA Responds to Critics of High Calorie Sports Drinks
A new study found negative effects of high calorie sports drinks on children. Study authors say that children don't need the calories, caffeine, and other stimulants. This shouldn't come as a big surprise but has warranted this response from the American Beverage Association.
This isn't the first time that a study has put the American Beverage Association on the defense. A study on diet soda was highly criticized by the ABA on Good Morning America:
Source: Putting Health Before Headlines from American Beverage Association on Vimeo.
Discussion Starters:
- Considering the recent study about high calorie sports drinks, in what ways does the ABA's response meet criteria for persuasive communication? In what ways was their response effective and ineffective?
- Looking at the video above, how do you assess the ABA's approach about the diet soda controversy? Do you buy their argument and criticism of the study?
Assignment Idea:
- On the ABA's website, you'll find several articles defending beverage makers and explaining new initiatives that support health, for example, their "Clear on Calories" section. What parts of the ABA's messages do you find most convincing? Least?
Obama Writes 2008 Instead of 2011: Could It Happen to Any of Us?
In a guestbook at the Westminster Abbey in London, President Obama wrote a lovely sentiment -- and then signed the date: 24 May 2008. The format (day, then month) is standard in Europe, but the date is three years off. Perhaps the President was thinking about more wistful times?
Discussion Starter:
- To what extent should this error reflect on the President? A post on New York Magazine's website reads, "President Obama Has No Idea What Year It Is." What do you think of the criticism?
Apple and Foxconn Respond to Explosion at Foxconn Plant
More bad news today at Foxconn, the Taiwanese manufacturer of electrical components and maker of Apple's iPod, iPhone, and iPad. An explosion at an assembly plant in China caused the death of two employees and left 16 more injured.
Apple was quick to offer condolences: "We are deeply saddened by the tragedy at Foxconn's plant in Chengdu, and our hearts go out to the victims and their families."
Foxconn also offered this statement to All Things Digital:
"We can confirm that at approximately 7 pm on May 20, there was an explosion at our Chengdu campus. At this point, we can also confirm that there were two fatalities with injuries to 16 other employees. We are working with medical officials to provide treatment to the injured employees and we are working with government and law enforcement officials to contact the families of all employees affected by this tragedy.
"The situation has been brought under control by the fire department and the cause of this explosion is being investigated by local police officials. Foxconn is cooperating fully with that investigation. Production has been suspended at the site of the explosion until the completion of the investigation. The safety of our employees is our highest priority and we will do whatever is required to determine and address the cause of this tragic accident."
Foxconn was in the news in late 2010 when employee suicides called the company's labor practices into question. In June 2010, Apple's Steve Jobs defended working conditions, saying, "Foxconn is not a sweatshop." With this latest incident, Foxconn and Apple have had more than their share of communication challenges.