Debate: Substantive But Boring

Analysts are complimenting the policy-related questions for the fourth Republican Presidential debate, but the result was a less exciting debate. Representatives from Fox Business Network did a better job than CNBC reporters in the last debate by focusing on real issues instead of personality.

Donald Trump played a less dominant role in this debate. Fox News reported, "As for Trump, he was very passive tonight. Statesman Trump is not as fun as reality TV Trump." CNN reported other players winning ground:

"There was no single dominant performance as in the past when candidates such as Carly Fiorina and Marco Rubio wowed audiences -- and swiftly improved their place in the polls. Several candidates, including Rubio and Ted Cruz, were strong on the debate stage on Tuesday. And Jeb Bush, who has struggled in such environments, projected greater confidence, seeming to relish a confrontation with Donald Trump on national security."

Reuters' focus was also on Jeb Bush, who said of his own performance, "I thought the debate went well, and I had a good debate because I got to talk about things with a little substance instead of the cute one-liners." Bush may have bought himself more time to gain a few percentage points in the polls; his campaign has been suffering, and his debate performances until this one certainly haven't helped.

Rubio and Cruz are emerging as the most well spoken, if not the most brilliant or substantive.

Discussion Starters:

• How much do you think appearance and youth count in the election? How will these factors help Rubio and Cruz?
• Who do you think won the fourth debate? How, if at all, will this debate affect your vote?

University of Missouri President Resigns

Students have forced the resignation of University of Missouri President Tim Wolfe. Unhappy with Wolfe's response during racial incidents at the university, some students have been on a hunger strike, while the football team announced plans to boycott upcoming games.

Wolfe published a statement apologizing for his response and another describing actions the university will take, but they weren't enough.  

A final statement announces Wolfe's resignation, which he also describes in a news conference.

Discussion Starters:

• Assess Wolfe's three statements. Could he have said anything else to quell the controversy, or was it hopeless?
• Assess Wolfe's news conference. What improvements would you suggest for future presentations?
• Wolfe's resignation misuses "affect." Do you see the mistake?

SeaWorld Changes Its Whale Show

It took since the opening of the movie "Blackfish" in July 2013: after increasing protests and declining park attendance, SeaWorld has finally announced the end of its killer whale show-in some form.

The documentary and other critics accused the theme park of keeping and mistreating orcas in captivity. Although the news reports that shows are ending, they will reopen with a different type of show in 2017. CEO Joel Manby describes a "natural setting, natural environment, and also the natural behaviors of the whale."

This report from the Today Show features Samantha Berg, a former SeaWorld trainer who appeared in "Blackfish." (Sam is also a Cornell graduate and was a guest speaker for my Corporate Communication class last year.)

Critics say the new show plan is a "bait and switch" and perpetuates captivity of the whales.

As the news was hitting media reports, SeaWorld published two major communications-neither mentions the decision to end shows as we know them:

• A video, "This is How SeaWorld is Taking Action to Make a Better World for Animals," describing the organization's rescue efforts and the emotional appeal of its parks
• A post on its website

Discussion Starters:

• What's your view of SeaWorld's PR strategy? Should the organization mention the show changes in its communications, or is it a smart decision to avoid the topic entirely?
• Many news reports focus on ending on the shows, but that's not quite the story we hear from the Today Show clip. Are the news reports short-term, deceiving, or something else?

More Trouble for Volkswagen

Volkswagen is facing a new wave of inquiry since the diesel emissions scandal. According to The Economist, "VW confessed that it overstated claims about the carbon-dioxide (CO₂) emissions and, thus, fuel efficiency of 800,000 cars, including, it seems, some with petrol engines."

The European Commission is asking EU countries to expand their investigation. A spokesperson for the Commission said, "Public trust is at stake. We need all the facts on the table and rigorous enforcement of existing legislation." Since the news about the cheating software, VW's stock lost more than one-third of its value. 

Now that Porsche models have also been implicated, VW's new CEO, Matthias Müller, previously head of the Porsche division, is not looking as good. As The Economist writes, the news "casts a shadow" on his role. 

Communications continue to lag. The U.S. VW site has the same tired video of Michael Horn. 

Discussion Starters:

• Did VW do the right thing by admitting the emissions under-reporting? Another strategy would have been to wait for the news to be discovered as part of the diesel software investigation. 
• What else should VW communicate at this point? Look at the U.S. website and make a few recommendations. 

HomeAway Announces Expedia Deal

HomeAway and its other vacation rental sites will be acquired by Expedia. Expedia has been busy: the company recently bought Travelocity and Orbitz. HomeAway's portfolio includes VRBO and VacationRentals.com and 1.2 million vacation properties.

 

In HomeAway's press release, Expedia CEO expresses his enthusiasm: 

"We have tremendous respect for the HomeAway team and the business they have built. With our expertise in powering global transactional platforms and our industry-leading technology capabilities, we look forward to partnering with them to accelerate their shift from a classified marketplace to an online, transactional model to create even better experiences for HomeAway's global traveler audience and the owners and managers of its 1.2 million properties around the world." 

In an email to users, VRBO describes the deal and plans. As a VRBO user, I was taken aback by no mention of VRBO except for the logo at top. This looks like the same email HomeAway users received. Also, I did not appreciate the spin in this bullet: 

More travelers – We plan to introduce a new service fee for travelers who book through HomeAway websites, enabling us to spend more on marketing to bring even more travelers to your vacation rental listing and highlight the benefits of vacation rentals to traditional hotel shoppers.

Discussion Starters: 

• Read VRBO's entire email. What are the key messages? What principles of business communication does this message follow? Do you see how the "More travelers" bullet is spun? 
• Listen to the conference call announcing the deal. If you were an investor, how might you react to the news? What advice would you have for the Expedia team leading the call? 

E. Coli Outbreak at Chipotle

An E. coli outbreak has caused Chipotle to close 43 stores in Oregon and Washington. The Center for Disease Control is investigating links between ingredients and 39 people falling ill. Fortunately for Chipotle, the CDC said it "does not have any information to suggest that Chipotle Mexican Grill locations in other states are affected by this outbreak."

The company issued a press release:

Chipotle Moves Aggressively to Address Issues in Washington and Oregon

Company voluntarily closes restaurants; replaces food; cooperates fully with investigation

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 3, 2015-- On the heels of an E. coli incident that was linked to eight of its restaurants in Oregon and Washington state, Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) has taken a number of immediate steps to assist investigators as they conduct their review of the incident in Oregon and Washington. Among the specific actions the company has taken since the incident began are:

• Immediately closing 43 restaurants in Oregon and Washington state out of an abundance of caution, even though only eight restaurants have drawn concern, while investigators search for a cause;
• Conducting additional deep cleaning and full sanitization of its restaurants in the area;
• Conducting environmental testing in its restaurants, and food testing in its restaurants and distribution centers in addition to testing being conducted by health department officials;
• Replacing all food items in the restaurants we closed, out of an abundance of caution;
• Batch testing some ingredients before resupplying;
• Continuing to help in the investigation; and
• Retaining two preeminent food safety consulting firms (including Seattle-based IEH Laboratories and Consulting Group) to help the company assess and improve upon its already high standards for food safety.

"The safety of our customers and integrity of our food supply has always been our highest priority," said Steve Ells, chairman and co-CEO of Chipotle. "We work with a number of very fresh ingredients in order to serve our customers the highest-quality, best-tasting food we can. If there are opportunities to do better, we will push ourselves to find them and enhance our already high standards for food safety. Our deepest sympathies go out to those who have been affected by this situation and it is our greatest priority to ensure the safety of all of the food we serve and maintain our customers' confidence in eating at Chipotle."

While no cause has yet been identified by investigating health officials, Chipotle continues to work swiftly and thoroughly with health department officials as they look to conclude this investigation.

The company's Twitter page has no mention of the closings.

Discussion Starters:

• Assess the company's press release. What works best?
• Should Chipotle include some of this news on its Twitter page? What are the arguments for and against this communication?

Employers Discriminate on Disability

A new study showed that employers reject candidates based on disabilities discussed in a cover letter.

Researchers sent cover letters and resumes for accounting positions and found that people who mentioned either a spinal cord injury or Asperger's Syndrome received 26% fewer interview offers than those who didn't mention a disability. The rejection numbers were higher for candidates who had more experience and by companies with fewer than 15 employees (who don't need to comply with federal Americans with Disabilities Act requirements).

Although some disabilities may affect job performance, the researchers chose these examples  because they would not likely impact job success in an accounting position.

The study may explain the lower employment rates of adults with disabilities: 34% compared to 74% for people without disabilities. Although the researchers say they expected some evidence of discrimination, they were surprised by the extent. The study abstract concludes,

"The overall pattern of findings is consistent with the idea that disability discrimination continues to impede employment prospects of people with disabilities, and more attention needs to be paid to employer behavior and the demand side of the labor market for people with disabilities."

Image source.

Discussion Starters:

• What about the study results surprise you-or not?
• What is the employer's perspective? Why would they discriminate, particularly against more experienced applicants?

Metrojet Defends Its Plane and Pilot

A Russian airplane crashed in Egypt, killing 224 people, and the cause still eludes investigators. The airline, Metrojet, has ruled out mechanical failures and pilot error, anxious to rebuild its reputation.

But the head of Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency said, "...it is very premature to talk about the reasons. I would like to call on the aviation community to abstain from premature statements." Russian President Vladi­mir Putin said, "Everything must be done to create an objective picture of what happened so that we know what happened and react accordingly."

Metrojet is still at the center of the investigation. Turns out, the company hasn't paid its employees in two months, and a pilot's wife says her husband complained about poor plane maintenance. Also, the Metrojet plane had suffered a tail strike, and investigators are wondering whether the problem was properly fixed. In a video statement, Metrojet denied mechanical and pilot errors.

Recent reports indicate a flash picked up by a U.S. satellite, which could point to an explosion on board, such as a fuel tank or a bomb.

Meanwhile, ISIS has taken responsibility for the crash. Although officials won't yet rule out terrorism, few seem to believe the organization's claims.

Putin expressed his condolences and investigation plans via video.

Discussion Starters:

• How well is Metrojet handling the news and its defense?
• How does the background information about Metrojet-potentially missing payroll, for example-influence your thinking about the situation?

Messages About Pig Farming

A full-page ad in today's Wall Street Journal tells us why pig farmers use antibiotics. The "We Care" initiative of two pork associations strives to "promote responsible practices in all areas of farming and is a commitment to continuously evaluate and improve our methods." 

The Porkcares.org website highlights healthy practices for pig farming, particularly defending the use of antibiotics. 

The controversy was elevated recently when Subway announced it would serve pork without antibiotics. This organization differs:

"When Subway recently announced-that soon all meat served in its restaurants would be sourced from farms that use no antibiotics at any time-some folks cheered. But, the thing is, all meat sold in the U.S. is inspected by USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service for consumer safety and must meet the same high standards regardless of production methods. Furthermore, it's not practical to never use antibiotics on a farm." 

On its website, the organization highlights "5 Ways Subway Got It Wrong" and why antibiotics are important for food safety, animal health, humane treatment, sustainability, and consumer pricing. 

Subway's announcement included this graphic: 

The opening paragraph of the press release follows: 

"SUBWAY® Restaurants announced today that it has elevated its current antibiotic-free policy. The brand recently communicated a commitment to transition to only serving chicken raised without antibiotics important to human medicine. Today, the brand confirmed that it is beginning to transition to serving only protein from animals that have never received antibiotics across all of its 27,000+ U.S. restaurants in early 2016."

Discussion Starters: 

• Analyze the organization's argument on its website. Which arguments are most and least convincing? How effective do you find the graphics, fonts, and other visual elements?
• Analyze Subway's infographic. Consider the text, graphics, color, and so on.
• After reading the related messages, what's your view about using antibiotics? 

United Misses Step for Passenger with Disability

United Airlines didn't give D'Arcee Neal the access and assistance he needed. Neal, who has cerebral palsy, had asked for a wheelchair, which was available for him but then removed for some reason. Neal needed to use a restroom and, according to CNN, "crawled up the aisle and to the gangway, where a wheelchair was then ready." According to Neal, the flight attendants weren't helpful: "I expected them to ask to assist me, but they just stared."

United called Neal to apologize and issued this statement: 

"As customers began to exit the aircraft, we made a mistake and told the agent with the aisle chair that it was no longer needed, and it was removed from the area," the airline said in a statement. "When we realized our error-that Mr. Neal was onboard and needed the aisle chair-we arranged to have it brought back, but it arrived too late."

Neal is a disability advocate and was on his way home from a meeting in San Francisco with Uber about their accessibility policies. Although the incident relates to his work, it became public only after he posted on his Facebook page that United had apologized. He said he didn't expect any response and was surprised the company responded at all: 

"Quite frankly, I was just shocked, because this had happened a couple of times before (with various airlines), and no company had ever bothered to apologize when they've done something wrong.

Image source.  

Discussion Starters: 

• What should the flight attendants or other passengers have done differently? 
• What's your assessment of United's apology? Should the company do more at this point? 

Visuals About the NYC Marathon

A New York Times article, "New York City Marathon in Six Charts," shows an interesting mix of line, bar, and other graphics. This one represents a newer way to display parts of a whole. 

 

The first time I saw this type of display was in David McCandless's "Billion Dollar O'Gram."

The newspaper calls these charts "interactive," presumably because some move, but users can't really interact with them. Most of the charts focus on demographics. One titled, "A Race for All Ages, Especially Round Ones," shows an elaborate bar chart of participants' ages and spikes, particularly at 40 and 50. 

Discussion Starters: 

• Which principles from Business Communication: In Person, In Print, Online do these visuals follow?
• What is another way to show the age demographic data, perhaps as a percentage? 

SXSW Controversy About Gaming Panels

South by Southwest (SXSW) is taking heat for a decision to cancel two panels in the March conference. The panels were about GamerGate, which is, according to The New York Times, "a loosely connected online movement that coalesced to counteract criticism of sexism in video games and game culture." SXSW explained the decision on its website: 

As a result, BuzzFeed, Vox, and other companies have withdrawn their participation in the conference. 

In response, conference organizers wrote this brief message on the SXSW website: 

We want the SXSW community to know that we hear and understand your frustrations and concerns about the recent cancellation of two SXSW Gaming panels.

The safety of our speakers, participants and staff is always our top priority. We are working with local law enforcement to assess the various threats received regarding these sessions.

Moving forward, we are also evaluating several programming solutions as we continue to plan for an event that will be safe, meaningful and enjoyable for all involved.

We will provide more information soon.

Discussion Starters: 

• What's your view of the controversy? How do you interpret SXSW's decision? Did the organization do the right thing by cancelling the panels? 
• How well did the organization handle these two communications? What are the key messages you take from each? 

Republicans Debate for a Third Time

We still have ten Republican candidates for president, and the ground is shifting. In this debate, sponsored by CNBC, Donald Trump "shared the oxygen with others," as Skimm put it. Two standout moments are when Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio sparred and when Ted Cruz accused the media of, well, being media. 

Bush criticized Rubio's work, saying he was treating his job "like a French work week." But Rubio fought back, leaving Bush unable to get another word in. According to Vox, Rubio clearly won the debate over Bush:

Bush was prepared. But Rubio was also prepared, and sharper. After cutting Bush to the quick - "Jeb, let me tell you, I don't remember you ever complaining about John McCain's vote record. The only reason you're doing it now is because we're running for the same position" - he denied that's what he'd done. "I can't campaign about the future of America or attacking anyone else on this stage," he said. Rubio became a happy conservative again. And that was that.

When Ted Cruz attacked the media for the questions asked, he got punished and lost his time. 

Discussion Starters:

• What's your view of the first video? Did Rubio do as well as Vox reported? 
• Do you agree with Cruz's assessment of the media? Was it fair that he lost time? Should the CNBC interviewers have handled this differently? If so, how? 

ESPN Layoff Message

These days, not a week goes by without a layoff message. The most recent is ESPN's, also posted on the organization's website.

The message is typical in some ways but not others. It expresses regret and focuses on future plans, yet doesn't mention the number of people leaving, which The New York Times reported at about 300, or 4% of the workforce. 

PR Daily describes the bulleted list as "jargon-filled," but we have certainly seen worse.  

Message from John Skipper to ESPN Employees

The demand for sports remains undiminished, though the landscape we operate in has never been more complex.

Our 36 years of continuous growth and success has been driven by our consistent willingness to reimagine our future, to embrace change and make the right choices for our business, including hard decisions that affect people who have been integral parts of our efforts.

Beginning today, we will be enacting a number of organizational changes at ESPN to better support our future goals – a process that will include the elimination of a number of positions, impacting  friends and colleagues across the organization.

We carefully considered and deliberated alternatives before making each decision.  The people who will be leaving us have been part of ESPN's success, and they have our respect and appreciation for their contributions.  We will be as supportive as we can during this transition, including providing a minimum of 60-days notice, a severance package reflective of their years of service, and outplacement benefits to help them find future employment.

These changes are part of a broad strategy to ensure we're in position to make the most of new opportunities to build the future of ESPN.  These ongoing initiatives include:

• Constant and relentless innovation, including integrating emerging technology into all aspects of our business.
• Enhancing our sales and marketing efforts with new tools and techniques that generate greater data, personalization and customization for our advertisers.
• Integrating our distribution efforts to better serve current and future distribution partners with our industry leading networks and services.

No matter how many times we've adjusted course to lead the industry over the years, the decisions affecting our employees are never made lightly.  It never gets any easier, but it's a necessary part of our continued strategic evolution to ensure ESPN remains the leader in sports as well as the premier sports destination on any platform.

I realize this process will be difficult – for everyone – but we believe the steps we are taking will ultimately create important competitive advantages for our business over the long term.  I sincerely appreciate your professionalism and continued support as we move forward to ensure the continued success of ESPN and assure sports fans everywhere the best is yet to come.

John 

Discussion Starters: 

• What key messages do you take from this announcement? 
• Do you find the bullets "jargon filled"? If so, what revisions would you make? 
• Why do you think ESPN broke tradition and omitted the number of people being laid off?

Grammar May Reflect View of Slavery

A Dartmouth faculty member analyzed grammatical choices in a history textbook and found bias in describing slavery. In a New York Times Op-Ed, Ellen Bresler Rockmore, a lecturer in the university's Institute for Writing and Rhetoric, wrote about the following excerpt in a section called "Texas United States History":

"Some slaves reported that their masters treated them kindly. To protect their investment, some slaveholders provided adequate food and clothing for their slaves. However, severe treatment was very common. Whippings, brandings, and even worse torture were all part of American slavery."

Rockmore points out that "slaves," "masters," and "slaveholders" are used as subjects in the first two sentences, which portray these actors positively. However, the next two sentences have no people as subjects. I will also say what is more obvious: the beginning of the paragraph, arguably the topic sentence, includes the positive portraying, downplaying whippings, etc.

In another section, actors are also omitted, and the sentence is written using passive voice: "Families were often broken apart when a family member was sold to another owner."

Rockmore also notes when "slaves" are subjects in sentences throughout the section of this textbook:

"After all, there are many sentences in which 'slaves' are the subjects, the main characters in their own narrative. But what are the verbs in those sentences? Are the slaves suffering? No, in the sentences that feature slaves as the subject, as the main actors in the sentence, the slaves are contributing their agricultural knowledge to the growing Southern economy; they are singing songs and telling folk tales; they are expressing themselves through art and dance.

"There are no sentences, in these excerpts, anyway, in which slaves are doing what slaves actually did: toiling relentlessly, without remuneration or reprieve, constantly subject to confinement, corporal punishment and death."

Discussion Starters: 

• What's your view of Rockmore's analysis? Is she interpreting the writing well or being overly picky? 
• What effect do you think this Texas textbook will have on students' understanding of slavery? 

Amazon Responds to NYT Piece

Two months after The New York Times published a scathing article about Amazon's work environment, the company is responding. Right after the article, Jeff Bezos did send an email to employees, and others wrote their own perspective. But this is an official and attacking review of the article by Jay Carney, former White House press secretary, and now VP of worldwide corporate affairs at Amazon.

Reminiscent of criticism of Rolling Stone's article on rape at the University of Virginia, this piece challenges New York Times reporters' fact checking. Will The New York Times also retract its article?

Carney begins his rebuttal with the quote featured in the Times article: "Nearly every person I worked with, I saw cry at their desk." He writes,

"Olson's words were so key to the narrative the Times wished to construct that they splashed them in large type just below the headline.

"Here's what the story didn't tell you about Mr. Olson: his brief tenure at Amazon ended after an investigation revealed he had attempted to defraud vendors and conceal it by falsifying business records. When confronted with the evidence, he admitted it and resigned immediately."

It will be interesting to see how The New York Times responds to these claims.

UPDATES:

• Dean Baquet, executive editor of The New York Times responded, justifying the article. He said that more than 100 employees were interviewed, and themes emerged clearly (which, he says, have been supported by thousands of comments on the Times' website). Baquet also cites several employees and clarifies their perspective more fully.
• Carney again responded, questioning the Times' fact-checking.

Image source.

Discussion Starters:

• Why did Amazon publish this article two months after The Times piece?
• How do you think The Times will respond? What could the reporter say to substantiate the article?
• UPDATE: Do Banquet's response and/or Carney's response change your opinion of the story or Amazon?

IHOP Gets Cute But Crosses a Line

Sure, companies need to attract attention, and social media is a good way to differentiate a brand. But IHOP went too far with its references to breasts, and people didn't respond well. These images and the tweet say it all. 

With an edgy voice, the company is trying to reach a younger demographic, but it backfired. People responded with anger and surprise. @JuddLegum tweeted,  "Something is going on with IHOP on Twitter and I hope I never find out what it is." 

To the company's credit, it sent a quick, natural apology tweet: 

Discussion Starters: 

• It's difficult for companies to know what's just edgy and funny-and what crosses an ethical line. How would you advise companies to distinguish? 
• Assess IHOP's response tweet. Does it work? Should the company have issued a longer or different apology?

United Announces Acting CEO

United Airlines has selected a new chief while the previously selected CEO is in the hospital. United CEO Jeff Smisek resigned amidst allegations of improprieties including keeping unprofitable flights to suit an executive at the NY/NJ Port Authority. Oscar Munoz, previously COO at CSX, was hired to replace Smisek, and had a strong start, communicating with United customers and employees. 

But Munoz suffered a heart attack just 41 after his appointment and has taken a medical leave. In the interim, the company announced Brett Hart, United's general counsel, as acting CEO. Hart joined United in 2010 from Sara Lee. 

In the press release posted on United's website, the company quoted Hart:

"Oscar's agenda is focused on customer service, teamwork and innovation and I, along with the executive team, will continue to move quickly to implement it. We believe strongly that we can continue to make steady progress on increasing shareholder value by working together to deliver a great product to our customers."

Although this sounds optimistic for Munoz's return, the press release ended this way: 

"The board of directors remains actively engaged in preparing for all potential outcomes regarding the company's leadership structure."

Strangely, a CNN Money article includes this reference to Hart's history at Sara Lee: 

"Hart was at Sara Lee when its CEO, Brenda Barnes, suffered a stroke and resigned in July 2010. Hart announced he was leaving for a position at United three months later."

Image source. 

Discussion Starters: 

• What are United's considerations in addressing Munoz's leave and announcing an acting CEO?
• Assess United's statement about the leadership change. Read between the lines: what do you take away from the announcement? 
• Why would CNN Money include Hart's history at Sara Lee?  

VW Europe Apology

With more than 1.2 million of the 11 million affected cars in the UK, the managing director of Volkswagen UK has issued his own apology for the deceptive software.

Willis told members of parliament (MPs) that he is working hard to communicate with customers. He also admitted the company's failures:

"We mishandled the situation. That's why we need to fix the cars, that's why we need to get the customers in and need to put the cars right.

"We mishandled the situation without a shadow of a doubt."

When questioned about diesel emissions, Willis denied that the cars are emitting more than expected. The Guardian reports,

The Green party MP, Caroline Lucas, asked Willis: "How much more NOx has been emitted by your cars than would have been the case if your claims had not been dishonest?" Willis replied: "None." Lucas replied: "How can that be the case?"

Another MP told The Guardian, "There are a lot of unanswered questions that we would have expected to have been answered in the session."

Discussion Starters:

• Watch Willis's statement to the MPs. Assess his delivery, message, and so on.
• Compare Willis's statement to that of Martin Winterkorn and Michael Horn. What similarities and differences do you notice? To what do you attribute the differences?

Pope Apologizes for...What?

Pope Francis has issued an apology, but critics want to know what it's for. He asks for forgiveness for "the scandals that have occurred recently both in Rome and at the Vatican."

A Reuters article says the apology is "an apparent reference to two cases of priests and gay sex revealed this month during a major meeting of bishops." The article also indicates, "The pope also appeared to be referring to a scandal exposed in the Italian media last week about an order of priests who run a parish in a well-to-do neighborhood in Rome." 

But for some, the apology isn't clear enough. The outreach director for the organization Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) expressed her frustration:

"Instead of stopping clergy sex scandals, Pope Francis is again asking forgiveness for them. That may be good public relations but it's irresponsible leadership."

This isn't the first broad apology. In 2000, John Paul II made what The Guardian called "a sweeping apology for 2,000 years of violence, persecution and blunders." 

Discussion Starters:

• What's your view of the pope's apology? Is it enough? 
• If the pope were to be more specific, what could he say?