Joy Behar Roasts Chris Christie
The video is rough, but we can watch comedian Joy Behar roast New Jersey Governor Chris Christie at an event to celebrate a former governor's 90th birthday. Behar poked fun at Christie's weight and the bridge scandal: "When I first heard that he was accused of blocking off three lanes on the bridge, I said, ‘What the hell is he doing, standing in the middle of the bridge?"
A story in The New Yorker described the scene in the video above:
"After another barb, Christie interrupted her. 'This is a Byrne roast,' he said. He stood up and tried to grab her notes. The audience laughed awkwardly. 'Stop bullying me,' Behar said as he sat down. Christie said something out of earshot and Behar responded, 'Why don't you get up here at the microphone instead of being such a coward?' Christie stood up again and moved in front of the lectern as Behar retreated. 'At least I don't get paid for this,' he said.
"Christie sat down and Behar continued, though she was noticeably rattled. 'I really don't know about the Presidency," she said. 'Let me put it to you this way, in a way that you'd appreciate: You're toast.'"
Discussion Starters:
- After watching the video clip, I wouldn't have described the scene as The New Yorker author did. How about you? What could explain the difference?
- What's a roast? Research the history and purpose. Why are insults accepted-even expected-while they would be shunned in most business settings?
ABC's Video for Facebook Likes
ABC celebrates 1 million Facebook likes with a video.
Deadline put the video in context:
"The Facebook milestone is fun news for the ABC newscast, in contrast to the nicking it suffered last week in the press when it dropped mention of that day's landmark ruling from the Supreme Court striking down cumulative caps on individual political donations in order to make room for breaking news about that day's shootings at Fort Hood, while hanging on to reports about why zebras have stripes, Kraft's Philadelphia Cream Cheese formula change, and the stray dog adopted by the Milwaukee Brewers."
It's funny that this excerpt mentions Kraft. The other Facebook-like video I remember is for Kraft Mac 'n Cheese-much more fun than ABC's.
Discussion Starters:
- Compare ABC's video to Kraft's. What are the purpose and audience for each?
- Does ABC have to include the Nationwide Insurance ad before we watch its promotional ad?
"Your Neighbor . . . Is a Parasite" Flyer
Kevin Rose's neighbors have posted flyers identifying him as a "parasite." The founder of Digg and a Google Ventures partner was outed as one who is "destroying San Francisco" by directing funds for start-up companies.
In a tweet, Rose did concede some points:
The protest is a continuation of those angry at the so-called "Google Bus," which shuttles people to work at technology companies. Activists claimed, "This is the opposite of school busing. We're busing wealthy, predominantly white adults into low-income neighborhoods, where they in turns displace low-income people. This is the reverse of affirmative action."
Discussion Starters:
- To what extent do you empathize with the protestors? What are their points?
- What's your assessment of this group's approach of posting flyers? When I first saw the headline, I thought Rose was a pedophile.
New Mozilla CEO Resigns
Firefox maker Mozilla is in the news because its new CEO was criticized for opposing same-sex marriage. In 2008, he gave $1000 to support Proposition 8, California's ban on gay marriage. Within two weeks of Brendan Eich's appointment, he resigned because of the controversy.
On the Mozilla blog, board chair Mitchell Baker wrote this explanation:
Mozilla prides itself on being held to a different standard and, this past week, we didn't live up to it. We know why people are hurt and angry, and they are right: it's because we haven't stayed true to ourselves.
We didn't act like you'd expect Mozilla to act. We didn't move fast enough to engage with people once the controversy started. We're sorry. We must do better.
Brendan Eich has chosen to step down from his role as CEO. He's made this decision for Mozilla and our community.
Mozilla believes both in equality and freedom of speech. Equality is necessary for meaningful speech. And you need free speech to fight for equality. Figuring out how to stand for both at the same time can be hard.
Our organizational culture reflects diversity and inclusiveness. We welcome contributions from everyone regardless of age, culture, ethnicity, gender, gender-identity, language, race, sexual orientation, geographical location and religious views. Mozilla supports equality for all.
We have employees with a wide diversity of views. Our culture of openness extends to encouraging staff and community to share their beliefs and opinions in public. This is meant to distinguish Mozilla from most organizations and hold us to a higher standard. But this time we failed to listen, to engage, and to be guided by our community.
While painful, the events of the last week show exactly why we need the web. So all of us can engage freely in the tough conversations we need to make the world better.
We need to put our focus back on protecting that Web. And doing so in a way that will make you proud to support Mozilla.
What's next for Mozilla's leadership is still being discussed. We want to be open about where we are in deciding the future of the organization and will have more information next week. However, our mission will always be to make the Web more open so that humanity is stronger, more inclusive and more just: that's what it means to protect the open Web.
We will emerge from this with a renewed understanding and humility - our large, global, and diverse community is what makes Mozilla special, and what will help us fulfill our mission. We are stronger with you involved.
Thank you for sticking with us.
Mitchell Baker, Executive Chairwoman
But the situation isn't so clear-cut. A New York Times article discussed the controversy: "The public campaign against Mr. Eich was unseemly and disturbing." The article also quoted The Dish editor: "If we are about intimidating the free speech of others, we are no better than the anti-gay bullies who came before us."
Mozilla published an FAQ, denying that Eich was fired or resigned under pressure from the board or employees. For his part, Eich wrote a blog post, "The Next Mission," to announce his resignation and present questions for the company's future.
Discussion Starters:
- Was it the right decision for Eich to resign?
- Assess the board chair's statement. What works well, and what doesn't seem to work?
- Read Mozilla's FAQ about the situation. What questions may be missing?
NSA's New Press Kit
The National Security Agency (NSA) published a shiny, new press kit to try to change its image. Damaged by reports of spying, the NSA's reputation could use some freshening up.
With self-aggrandizing phrases, such as, "Saving Lives," "Cybersecurity: A Team Sport," "Operating as a Responsible Citizen," and "The Mission that Never Sleeps," the NSA is trying to combat negative perceptions.
The kit also addresses "Myths" about the NSA, such as, "The NSA has agents who can arrest hackers or other cyber bad guys," and "NSA monitors the world's communications systems at all times."
Discussion Starters:
- Read the entire press kit. What are the NSA's main messages?
- Assess the text and graphics. How well do they work together? What images are most prevalent in the kit?
- Which themes or points do you find most and least convincing?
Barra Answers Tough Questions at the Hearing
GM CEO Mary Barra faced a panel of angry senators at the hearing investigating the company's failure to fix faulty ignition switches. Barra began by reading her testimony:
The New York Times describes the scene:
"As family members of victims looked on, senators repeatedly cut off Ms. Barra, scolded her over failing to have answers and zeroed in on G.M.'s potential criminal liability for failing to fix defective ignition switches in millions of small cars for more than a decade."
The Times blog identified a few highlights from the questioning, including this reaction from a victim's father:
"She's not doing anything except stonewalling and saying she's a mother and has children and is sorry and is communicating with the families."
Discussion Starters:
- Assess Barra's initial testimony. What works well in convincing the senators, and what could be improved?
- One of Barra's strategies is to try to distinguish herself from the "old GM." How well is this strategy working?
- Watch more of the hearings on YouTube or news sites. How well is Barra handling the senators' questions?
Teenager Proposes Font Change for $234m in Savings
A 14-year-old boy claimed that the U.S. government could save $234 million by switching from Times New Roman to Garamond. But The Washington Post reports, "That claim is patently false."
Suvir Mirchandani, from Pittsburgh, made a good point: a smaller or thinner font could reduce paper and toner expenses. Garamond simply takes less ink than does Times New Roman.
But experts say that the government doesn't print nearly the quantity that Mirchandani estimated in his paper, published in the Journal of Emerging Investigators. The Government Printing Office, which prints about half of the government's work, spent only $700,000 on ink last year. Mirchandani admits that he didn't get his information directly from the government in time for his paper to be published.
Second, Mirchandani failed to consider that the font change, as you see above, makes the printing harder to read. That's a real consequence of a smaller or thinner font-and who knows what problems that would cause and how much they would cost.
Discussion Starters:
- Read Mirchandani's paper. Can you identify the flaws?
- How would you describe the consequences of a font that's more difficult to read? Consider who reads government documents and for what reasons.
GM's Cobalt Recall Site
For the unfortunate customers who own a Chevy Cobalt, GM has created a dedicated recall website.
The site includes a series of Q&A and links to a "gallery" of videos between 23 and 48 seconds long. The site als0 includes this graphic and a video that repeats this "3-Point Check Plan."
Discussion Starters:
- Assess the short videos on the website: what works well, and what could be improved?
- The "3-Point Check Plan" tells customers what to do with their key chain, that they should talk to the dealer, and how to reach the company. Do we need a graphic and a video for that? Are GM's communications too simple? Or am I underestimating what customers need?
American Airlines' "Deaf and Dumb" Note
American Airlines has apologized for writing a note about a "deaf and dumb" couple. The couple vacationed in Hawaii but had their luggage lost. When they received their baggage, they saw the note shown here.
The man's mother called the note "outrageous and cruel and unnecessary." She also said, "The public hopefully has been educated a little more to know that the term 'deaf and dumb' has no place in our society, like other derogatory labeling of other good people."
In response, the airline sent this apology:
"There was no malicious intent on the part of the baggage handler. He was trying to warn the driver delivering the couple's lost bag to text them (not call them) for they are both deaf and 'mute.' But he isn't a native English speaker and a common substitute word in many cultures (obviously, going out of practice in English) is 'dumb.' AA has reached out to the family to apologize & convey there was no insult intended. The handler, along with many other employees, will undergo sensitivity training."
Video source: ABC News.
Discussion Starters:
- What's your view of American Airlines' response? Does it adequately explain the situation?
- We haven't seen the airlines' apology to the couple. What would be an appropriate approach and message? In other words, what media should be used, who should initiate the communication, and what should be said?
British Street Signs Omit Apostrophes
In Britain, apostrophists are marking street signs to correct what they consider an assault on the English language. King's Road has become Kings Road to help emergency vehicles get to the right address, a problem that recently led to a teenager's death. The British government has recommended no punctuation in street signs.
One grammarian defended the corrections to street signs: "If the apostrophe needs to be there, I don't think it's vandalism because I would say the language is being vandalised." And the chair of the Apostrophe Protection Society said, "I don't know why their computers couldn't be trained to recognise an apostrophe."
This isn't the first time someone took a black marker or paintbrush to a sign. In 2009, a British man added an apostrophe to correct a "St. John's Close" sign in front of his house. But it didn't last: neighbors scratched off his work. At the time, the government council favored no punctuation for the sake of "simplicity."
Visitors to the stairwell in the Beck Center at Statler Hall at Cornell may notice, in addition to the faint smell of smoke, an "n" added to "Personel." Who would do that?
Discussion Starters:
- What's your view of the decision to remove punctuation from street signs: an assault on language, a practical move, or something else?
- Should people who add signs be punished? Are they vandals?
- How did we get to this point: why can't a GPS recognize an apostrophe?
Transit Authority's Response to the "Spectacular Crash"
The Chicago Transit Authority isn't saying much about what the Chicago Tribune called a "spectacular crash," and video-watchers are comparing to a disaster movie.
More than 30 people were injured in the accident, but the CTA's communications, as PR Daily points out, just stick to the facts:
As I theorized during the recent MTA Metro-North accident, as a government-funded organization, CTA is probably following old, conservative rules about showing remorse.
Although the CTA says it's investigating all possible causes, Robert Kelly, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 308, confirmed that the operator was tired: "Indications are she might have dozed off."
Discussion Starters:
- What advice is CTA likely following in deciding how and what to communicate?
- What advice would you give the agency if you were the director of communication? Or, another way to think about this is, what's the right thing to do?
- Prepare a statement that the CTA could send to show that it's run by actual people.
Fury Over AP Style Guide's Acceptance of "Over"
The AP Style Guide has updated a grammar rule and caused an outcry on Twitter. According to the new rule, "over" is acceptable to mean "more than," which strict grammarians won't accept.
A 2011 Inkhouse post explains the previous distinction:
"More than, over. More than is preferred with numbers, while over generally refers to spatial elements. The company has more than 25 employees; The cow jumped over the moon."
AP Stylebook explained the decision:
"We decided on the change because it has become common usage. We're not dictating that people use ‘over' – only that they may use it as well as ‘more than' to indicate greater numerical value."
Discussion Starters:
- What would you rather do: eat glass or use "over" interchangeably with "more than"?
- Seriously, what do you think inspires this outrage? In what ways is it justified-or not?
- To me, these tweets are extraordinarily funny. Do you agree? If so, why do you think that's the case?
Malaysia Airlines and PM Announce Demise of Flight MH370
The Malaysia Prime Minister announced that Flight MH370 most likely ended in the Indian Ocean.
Malaysia Airlines posted this statement on its website:
This message also was texted to the families:
In a posting five hours earlier, the airline gave updates and responded to questions. The statement included a section about working with the families:
"Yesterday, the high-level team met with families in Beijing for more than eight hours.
"The families asked many questions, and made detailed requests for radar readings and other data. Some of these questions could not be answered, and some of the data they requested was still being held by the investigation, as is standard procedure in investigations of this sort.
"After meeting with the families for a total of more than twelve hours, and taking hundreds of questions, the high-level team has returned to Kuala Lumpur to discuss the matters raised at the meetings. They will return to Beijing tomorrow to continue.
"The briefings in Kuala Lumpur over the last two days went smoothly, and the families responded as positively as could be expected, with the families engaging with representatives from the relevant authorities.
"It has always been our intention to keep the families as fully informed as possible. We continue to do so."
The Guardian reports tragic scenes of families hearing the news. Their reaction is understandable and was expected: paramedics were sent to the Beijing Hotel where families were called to an "emergency briefing."
Discussion Starters:
- Assess the prime minister's statement to the press. How well does he deliver the bad news? What is the organizational plan?
- Assess Malaysia Airlines' statement: what works well, and what could be improved?
- What's your view of the text message? Typically, texting isn't the best way to deliver bad news. Could this be an exception? Why?
New York Times Opinions About GM
A New York Times opinion piece accused Toyota and GM of "Willfully Endangering Drivers" by delaying automobile recalls. The author partly blames the government for succumbing to pressure from the car industry and from lawmakers who opposed a 2010 Motor Vehicle Safety Act. The Act would have provided more funding to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to investigate safety issues and improve consumers' access to safety information.
Another New York Times story this weekend comments on GM's social media activity. On the surface, it looks like "business as usual" at GM. Recent posts describe an employee recruiting campaign, a "Fan Friday" contest, and a new FB cover photo.
But a deeper look into posts shows individual responses to complaints. Recall issues dominate customers' comments, and GM is engaged in the conversation as in this example:
How is GM's reputation faring online? According to the article, pretty well:
"So far, the damage to the company's brand appears to have been minimal online.
"Despite the barrage of headlines about federal investigations into G.M.'s decade-long failure to issue the recall, overall sentiment about G.M. and its brands on Twitter has remained the same since the crisis began. According to an analysis by Crimson Hexagon, a social media analytics firm in Boston, about 26 percent of Twitter messages mentioning the company were positive, 71 percent were neutral and 3 percent were negative."
Discussion Starters:
- What's your view of the first article? In what ways do you agree and disagree with the writer's assessment of GM?
- Assess GM's responses on its Facebook page. What principles from Chapter 7, Responding to Negative Feedback, does the company demonstrate in this and other examples online?
Tobacco Free New York Radio Ads
Last month, CVS announced the decision to stop selling tobacco products in its stores. In the past week, this ad has been running on Ithaca radio stations.
On the Tobacco Free New York website, we see communications for other campaigns since 2010:
Discussion Starters:
- Take a look at the video about how tobacco companies sponsor community events. Do you consider their approach ethical? Use the ethical decision-making guidelines in Chapter 1 to formulate your argument.
- The ad, above, mentions that some drugstores have stopped selling tobacco products, but it doesn't name CVS. Why?
- What's the punctuation error in "Tobacco Free New York"? Is this a good choice for the organization's name?
Malaysia Prime Minister's News Conference About Missing Flight
The prime minister of Malaysia spoke about missing flight MH370 at a news conference. He begins by showing respect for the families, which is appropriate, and then provides what little information he knows. Most of the conference focuses on the search process.
His English is difficult to understand, but couldn't someone do a better job of captioning his speech on YouTube? Surely, he had a script that could be shared with the press and other organizations. Are these "Automatic Captions" worth posting?
Discussion Starters:
- Assess the prime minister's news conference. What works well about the content, organization, and delivery, and what could be improved?
- What are the main messages you take away from his presentation?
Mary Barra's Video Message to GM Employees
As communication experts question GM's "no comment" strategy with the press, CEO Mary Barra continues her communication with employees. In a four-minute video, Barra addresses what a New York Times article calls "a decade-long failure to fix a defect tied to 12 deaths."
While people and companies are increasingly criticized for false apologies, Barra tries to go beyond a simple apology: "We have apologized, but that is only one step in the journey to resolve this." Of course, the company has little choice considering the federal investigations; it must take more action.
The video complements an intranet post for employees on March 4 that outlined GM's investigation plans and expressed confidence in the future.
Discussion Starters:
- Assess Barra's video. What works well, and what could be improved in the organization, content, and delivery?
- What key messages do you take from the video? How do they compare to Barra's message to employees on March 4?
- Why is Barra choosing employee messages as her primary communication vehicle? She has declined interviews with the press. On the other hand, the video is public on GM's website and YouTube. What's her strategy?
A Handwritten Job Ad
Advertising agency Solve has a new-and old-way of inviting interns to apply for jobs. In a handwritten letter posted around college campuses, Solve asks interns to submit a traditional cover letter and resume by mail. Emphasizing "genuine connections" and a "personal, straightforward" approach, the agency describes its rationale:
"Valuing substance over silliness, Solve refuses to ask candidates to condense resumes into 140 characters, present themselves via fake campaign or funny videos, or answer irrelevant nonsensical questions. Rather, Solve is simply asking for a resume and cover letter…to be sent (via mail) to the agency."
Discussion Starters:
- What's your view of the agency's campaign: refreshing, as gimmicky as a tweet, or something else?
- I'm having trouble reading the letter. Is it just me?
- The letter asks prospective interns to mail in their cover letter and resume. Would you submit something typed or handwritten?
- The letter has a fairly major grammatical error. Can you find it?
Communications About GM's Ignition Trouble
GM is in a tough spot, apparently having caused 31 accidents and 13 deaths and saying little about them.
The Justice Department and Congress are investigating what sounds like a history of ignition problems that weren't fixed. The New York Times published a timeline, "The Deadly History of a Faulty Ignition Switch," showing accidents dating back to 2003.
In addition to the criminal investigation led by the U.S. Attorney's Office, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce announced its investigation plans:
- Letter to GM CEO Mary Barra
- Letter to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Both letters mention a bunch of documentation to be submitted by March 25:
Meanwhile, Barra is keeping GM employees updated. On March 4, she posted this message on GM's intranet:
Dear GM Employee:
As employees of General Motors, many of us have been asked about our recently announced recall. I would like to make sure you know where we stand and what we are doing about it.
First and foremost, everything we are doing is guided by one unwavering principle: do what is best for our customer. Customer safety and satisfaction are at the heart of every decision we make.
Our process for determining whether and when to recall a vehicle is decided by experienced technical experts. They do their work independent of managers with responsibilities for other aspects of the business, so that their decisions are made solely on technical facts and engineering analysis.
When this was brought to my team a few weeks ago, we acted without hesitation to go well beyond the decision by the technical experts. Specifically, we:
- Created a working group of senior executives, which I lead, to direct our response, monitor our progress and make adjustments as necessary.
- Empowered our dealers with resources to provide affected customers with the peace of mind they deserve.
- Coordinated with our supplier to ramp up development and validation of replacement parts to get them into the field as fast as possible.
- Provided federal regulators with comprehensive information on this issue.
- Launched an internal review to give us an unvarnished report on what happened.
We will hold ourselves accountable and improve our processes so our customers do not experience this again.
We sincerely apologized to our customers and others who have a stake in GM's success.
Of course, recalls of this size and scope always take time to play out. Various other parties will naturally be involved, and GM will cooperate fully. You can expect additional developments in the near term.
That has led some to ask if the recall of these out-of-production vehicles might affect our company's reputation or sales of our current models.
My answer is simple: that's not the issue. The vehicles we make today are the best in memory and I'm confident that they will do fine, on their own merits. And our company's reputation won't be determined by the recall itself, but by how we address the problem going forward.
What is important is taking great care of our customers and showing that it really is a new day at GM.
While I deeply regret the circumstances that brought us to this point, I appreciate how today's GM has responded so far. We have much more work ahead of us and I'm confident we will do the right thing for our customers.
Mary
When GM publishes documents to answer the committee's request, particularly for points 8 and 9, customer and internal communications also will be interesting to read.
Discussion Starters:
- How can GM gather all of the required information? Which groups within GM do you think are involved in pulling this together?
- Analyze the House Committee's letters. What differences and similarities do you notice? How are they organized? What's interesting (or not) about the tone and word choice?
- Analyze Barra's communication to employees. How might you react if you were an employee? What works well about the message, and what could you improve?
Is Malaysia Airlines Doing Enough?
It's been two days since a Malaysia Airlines flight with 227 passengers and 12 crew members has been lost, and relatives are angry. The flight is now assumed to have crashed, with some signs of wreckage. But the real fallout now is the airline's lack of communication.
Quotations in a Reuters article show family members' distress:
"There's no one from the company here; we can't find a single person. They've just shut us in this room and told us to wait."
"We want someone to show their face. They haven't even given us the passenger list."
"They're treating us worse than dogs."
On its website, the company revealed its "dark site," a page that companies create in anticipation of a crisis. Oddly, the airline kept the name in the URL, shown here.
The page gave information about what happened and what actions the airline is taking currently:
Monday, March 10, 05:30 PM MYT +0800 Malaysia Airlines MH370 Flight Incident - 10th Media Statement
The purpose of this statement is to update on emergency response activities at Malaysia Airlines.
On notification of the incident the following steps have been taken:-
The EOC:-
1. Activation of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in the early morning of 8 March 2014. The EOC is the central command and control facility responsible for carrying out emergency management functions at the strategic level during a disaster.
2. In addition to the EOC, various departments of Malaysia Airlines are also addressing to all the different needs during this crisis.
Family Management
1. Malaysia Airlines is working closely with the government of China to expedite the issuance of passports for the families intending to travel to Malaysia, as well as with the immigration of Malaysia on the issuance of their visas into Malaysia.
2. Malaysia Airlines is deploying an additional aircraft to bring the families from Beijing to Kuala Lumpur on 11 March 2014.
3. When the aircraft is located, a Response Coordination Centre (RCC) will be established within the vicinity to support the needs of the families. This has been communicated specifically to the families.
4. Once the Response Coordination Centre is operational, we will provide transport and accommodation to the designated areas for the family members.
5. Our oneworld partners have been engaged to help bring family members in other countries aside from China into Kuala Lumpur.
Search and Rescue
1. Malaysia Airlines has been actively cooperating with the search and rescue authorities coordinated by the Department of Civil Aviation Malaysia (DCA) and the Ministry of Transport
2. DCA has confirmed that search and rescue teams from Australia, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Philippines, New Zealand and the United States of America have come forward to assist. We are grateful for these efforts.
We also want to address a few common queries from the media.
We are receiving many queries about how the passengers with the stolen passports purchased their tickets. We are unable to comment on this matter as this is a security issue. We can however confirm that we have given all the flight details to the authorities for further investigation.
We also confirm that we are making necessary arrangements for MH370 passengers' families from Beijing to travel to Kuala Lumpur. However, flight details of the families' arrival are highly confidential. This is to protect the privacy and well-being of the families during this difficult time and to respect their space. Our position is not to reveal any information on the flight or movements of the families.
Malaysia Airlines' primary focus at this point in time is to care for the families of the passengers and crew of MH370. This means providing them with timely information, travel facilities, accommodation, meals, medical and emotional support. The costs for these are all borne by Malaysia Airlines.
All other Malaysia Airlines' flights are as per schedule. The safety of our passengers and crew has always been and will continue to be of utmost importance to us.
The airline continues to work with the authorities and we appreciate the help we are receiving from all local and international parties and agencies during this critical and difficult time.
Malaysia Airlines reiterates that it will continue to be transparent in communicating with the general public via the media on all matters affecting MH370.
Discussion Starters:
- Assess Malaysia Airlines' statement. What works well, and what could be improved?
- What's missing from the statement that you might see in similar posts about a tragedy? What could account for this omission? Timing? Culture? Language? Something else?