"Advantage Women" Program for Gender Equality

Ad agency Burson-Marstellar has a new initiative to help companies close the gender gap. According to PRWeek, the program will help companies with communications to "help all levels of leadership recognize the importance of women in executive roles and gender balance across the workplace":

Burson-Marsteller plans to leverage its research and data analytics to produce "evidence-based campaigns," including internal audits, perception analyses and research and message testing on women audiences.

This matters to companies partly because women make 90% of household purchase decisions.

The World Economic Forum has a Gender Gap Calculator that shows how old you'll be when the gap is eliminated, mediated by your home country. I'll be 169 years old. 

Of course communication is only part of the issue. Companies can make themselves more attractive to women leaders and encourage directors and senior managers to hire women, but a culture shift within an organization takes years, and we have a lot more work to do.

Discussion Starters: 

• How would you describe the impact of the gender gap on men and women?
• How can communication help? In other words, how will Burson-Marstellar be working with companies? 

Companies Threaten to Boycott Georgia

As Georgia Governor Nathan Deal ponders a religious-liberty bill, several companies, and now the film industry, have threatened to withdraw their business if the bill becomes a law. The Washington Post explains the purpose of the bill (H.B. 757), on the surface:

The bill protects religious leaders from being forced to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies and individuals from being forced to attend such events. It also allows faith-based organizations to deny use of their facilities for events they find "objectionable" and exempts them from having to hire or retain any employee whose religious beliefs or practices differ from those of the organization.

However, people are concerned that the measure is discriminatory. According to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), 

The bill adds a so-called "Religious Freedom Restoration Act" (RFRA), as well as retains and broadens discriminatory provisions that give explicit cover to taxpayer-funded religious organizations choosing to discriminate. While falsely framed as prohibiting the state government from making funding or tax status decisions based on an organization's religious views, in reality it opens the door to discrimination in social services and employment against a wide range of Georgians. The RFRA and other provisions could result in a range of harms. Taxpayer-funded adoption and foster care agencies could refuse to place children in desperate need of loving and caring homes with LGBT couples. Homeless shelters could turn away unwed couples and their families. Food pantries could turn away people of other faiths or even engage in race discrimination. Drug counseling centers could refuse to hire a qualified LGBT therapist.

Delta, Coca-Cola, Home Depot, Marriott, and Google, are among those urging Gov. Deal to veto the bill. Disney, including its subsidiary Marvel, wrote in a statement, "Disney and Marvel are inclusive companies, and although we have had great experiences filming in Georgia, we will plan to take our business elsewhere should any legislation allowing discriminatory practices be signed into state law." AMC Networks has expressed similar sentiment.

The revenue loss could hurt the state's economy. Georgia is the third most popular state for feature films, after California and New York. A letter signed by actors, writers, producers, and others working in the industry echoed the companies' concerns: 

Dear Gov. Deal,

As leaders in the entertainment industry, we have deep concerns about H.B. 757, which would sanction discrimination against LGBT people and others in Georgia.

As you know, Atlanta is often referred to as the Hollywood of the South. During the last fiscal year, at least 248 films and television productions were shot in Georgia, adding at least $1.7 billion in direct spending to the state's economy. Additionally, the entertainment industry helped to bring more than 100 businesses to Georgia through relocation or expansion in the past fiscal year. Only two states - California and New York - have a larger entertainment industry footprint and both have statewide non-discrimination protections on the books. Unfortunately, Georgia not only lacks such protections, but could soon move from a bad situation to worse with H.B. 757.

We pride ourselves on running inclusive companies, and while we have enjoyed a positive partnership on productions in Georgia, we will plan to take our business elsewhere if any legislation sanctioning discrimination is signed into state law.

We urge you to veto H.B. 757 and send a strong message that Georgia will not tolerate discrimination against citizens, employees and visitors to the state.

Thank you in advance for your consideration of this urgent issue.

Image source.

Discussion Starters: 

• How persuasive is the letter from the Hollywood constituencies?
• What should Gov. Deal do? Either way, how should he communicate his decision?
• Do you find the bill potentially discriminatory? How does the language affect your reaction?

Starboard Value Wants New Yahoo Board

Yahoo has been struggling, and hedge fund Starboard Value has a solution: replace the entire current board of directors. Known as an activist group, Starboard was successful in ousting Darden Restaurants' board in 2014 and gave us a great example of a persuasive PowerPoint deck. So far, we see a letter to shareholders, but with the same persuasive language. The opening is shown here:

NEW YORK, March 24, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Starboard Value LP (together with its affiliates, "Starboard"), one of the largest shareholders of Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) with an ownership interest in approximately 1.7% of Yahoo's outstanding shares, representing an investment of approximately $570 million, today announced that it is nominating a slate of nine highly qualified candidates for election to Yahoo's Board of Directors at the 2016 Annual Meeting.

Starboard also announced today that it has delivered the following open letter to Yahoo shareholders, which includes the names and detailed biographies of each of Starboard's nominees towards the end:

A LETTER TO THE SHAREHOLDERS OF YAHOO! INC.

Yahoo's Current Board has Failed to Deliver Results for Shareholders

Significant Board Change is Desperately Needed to Hold Management Accountable and Properly Oversee any Operational Turnaround Plan, Separation, or Sale of Assets

The Board Refuses to Embrace the Need for Significant Changes at Yahoo

Starboard is Therefore Nominating a Slate of Nine Highly Reputable and Extremely Qualified Directors for Election at Yahoo's 2016 Annual Meeting

The letter goes on to say, "We believe that Yahoo is deeply undervalued and opportunities exist within the control of management and the Board of Directors (the "Board") to unlock significant value for the benefit of all shareholders.  Unfortunately, as we have outlined in previous letters, we have been extremely disappointed with Yahoo's dismal financial performance, poor management execution, egregious compensation and hiring practices, and general lack of accountability and oversight by the Board.  We believe the Board clearly lacks the leadership, objectivity, and perspective needed to make decisions that are in the best interests of shareholders."

CEO Marissa Mayer has made several attempts to trim the business, but the company may be sold. In the shareholder letter, Starboard criticizes the process: "Bidders are uneasy over what was described as an uncharacteristically long document, three to four times longer than usual, without inclusion of private financial information." The board is accused of dealing unfairly in the process.

Discussion Starters:

• Read the Starboard Value letter to shareholders. What principles of persuasion are illustrated? How do the word choices contribute to or detract from the argument?
• How should Marissa Mayer respond? Research the Darden situation to draw some comparisons.
• Do you think we'll see a detailed PPT deck, as we did for the Darden situation? Why or why not? What are the similarities and differences in the businesses that may drive the genre choice?

Kellogg's Responds to Employee Urination Incident

Kellogg's is responding to a video showing a man urinating onto a conveyor belt at one of its factories. The video was taken in Memphis, Tennessee, in 2014 during a labor dispute, so any affected products are past their expiration date. In other words, it's too late to worry whether your box of Rice Krispies was tainted.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has started a criminal investigation, and the company is investigating internally. Of course, customers are furious.

Kellogg's has issued a statement and is addressing questions on its Facebook page. To CNN, Kris Charles, a Kellogg's spokesman, said the company is "outraged by this completely unacceptable situation." He also said, "We were shocked and deeply disappointed by this video that we just learned of yesterday. We immediately alerted law enforcement authorities and regulators." 

Kellogg's also posted a notice on its website.

Discussion Starters:

• What would lead an employee to take this action? Imagine the scene at the factory. Would other employees see this and not take action? In other words, how does something like this happen?
• Are people over-reacting, or is this a serious issue?
• Assess the company's response. How well did the social media manager address the Facebook post? Could he or she have said anything different?
• In addition to the statement given to CNN, what else could the company have said?

MSNBC Host Tells Clinton to Smile

MSNBC host Joe Scarborough tweeted a suggestion to Hillary Clinton, and the backlash was fierce.

 

A Washington Post headline called it "tired advice," but Scarborough hasn't been inspired to apologize:

In a series of tweets Wednesday, Scarborough responded on Twitter, saying "we've called @BernieSanders grumpy for a year. @HillaryClinton is tough as hell. She doesn't need this fake outrage." In yet another tweet, he wrote, "we've hammered all candidates on their style and substance. We try to hold all candidates to the same standard." In reply to a woman who said he crossed a line, Scarborough wrote that "I don't look at HRC as a woman anymore than I did Thatcher. I look at her as a tough candidate who can handle it."

An NPR article gives us some history about women and smiling:

Back in 1970, the feminist writer Shulamith Firestone proposed her "dream action" for the women's liberation movement: she called for "a smile boycott" in which, she wrote, "all women would instantly abandon their 'pleasing' smiles - henceforth smiling only when something pleased THEM."

In these situations, it's helpful to consider whether Scarborough would have made the same comment to a man-and what others are saying about the presidential candidate, which Vogue reports:

Fox News's Brit Hume wrote: "Hillary having a big night in the primaries. So she's shouting angrily in her victory speech," while commentator Howard Kurtz suggested Clinton should speak in a more relatable tone. "Hillary shouting her speech," Kurtz Tweeted. "She has the floor; a more conversational tone might be better for connecting with folks at home."

Discussion Starters:

• Do you consider Scarborough's and other comments to be sexist or gender biased? Why or why not?
• Most articles confirm that Clinton does, in fact, smile. How, if at all, does this factor into this discussion?
• How does your own propensity to smile affect interactions and presentations? Have you received useful feedback about this?

Ad Agency CEO Resigns

In the midst of a discrimination lawsuit and evidence of sexist and racist behavior, the CEO of J. Walter Thompson has resigned. Founded in 1864, J. Walter Thompson is the fourth-largest agency in the world and was acquired in 2015 by WPP. 

In a highly publicized case, Erin Johnson, JWT's chief communications officer, accused CEO Gustavo Martinez of an "unending stream of racist and sexist comments as well as unwanted touching and other unlawful conduct." 

Alleged comments made by Martinez are shocking, so I won't quote them here, but you can read them for yourself if you're interested. 

WPP responded with a statement from Martinez: 

"I am aware of the allegations made against me by a J. Walter Thompson employee in a suit filed in New York Federal Court. I want to assure our clients and my colleagues that there is absolutely no truth to these outlandish allegations, and I am confident that this will be proven in court."

Johnson has a video of a May 2015 company meeting apparently showing Martinez making offensive comments, but his lawyers are trying to prevent this as evidence for the case, claiming it contains "highly confidential and proprietary" information.  

Image source.

Discussion Starters: 

• What else, if anything, should parent company WPP say at this time? 
• A lawsuit is usually an employee's last resort. How can employees subjected to discriminatory or harassing remarks address them internally? What is a company's responsibility in such situations? 

Carrier Layoff Video Goes Viral

In a video taken by a Carrier employee, we see bad news delivered first hand. An executive announces that the furnace and heating equipment factory will move to Mexico-eliminating 1,400 jobs at the Indianapolis plant.

Understandably, employees are upset. Represented by the United Steelworkers union, they receive good pay, including overtime. Employees seem to like working at the factory, despite long hours and what a New York Times article calls "painstaking work." As one employee said, "It's pretty cool working there. And when you do it for 60 hours a week, people are like family."

Akhil Johri, Carrier's CFO says that factory moves and job cuts "painful," but essential "for the long-term, competitive nature of the business and shareholder value creation. We feel good about being able to execute on that." The company is concerned that it will go the way of the auto industry, unable to compete with international manufacturers.

Robert McDonough, a senior executive at United Technologies (Carrier's parent company), said, "This was a really tough decision. This will have a real impact on folks we care about and this community. We're an American company, but we compete globally."

Still, UT promoted the decision during a recent meeting with shareholders and analysts, who typically react positively to such news. As the NY Times explains, 

"Wall Street is looking for United Technologies to post a 17 percent increase in earnings per share over the next two years, even though sales are expected to rise only 8 percent. Bridging that gap means cutting costs wherever savings can be found."

UT CEO Gregory J. Hayes is feeling the pressure of stock performance, and his 2015 bonus was cut by 50%. But, as article says, "with a total compensation package of $5.7 million, he made more last year than Carrier's factory workers could earn in several lifetimes."

Discussion Starters: 

• What's your view of the decision? Consider both UT and the employees' perspective. 
• Assess what we see of the Carrier meeting. How could the company have delivered the news differently? What, if anything, would change the employees' reactions? 

SeaWorld Ends Orca Breeding Program

SeaWorld is still trying to recover from the negative publicity from Blackfish, the 2013 documentary about orca whales in captivity. Now, the entertainment park has announced it will no longer breed orca whales. This is the biggest move since SeaWorld changed its shows, and it gives hope to animal rights activists. PETA tweeted about the decision as well as Ringling Brothers' decision to stop traveling with elephants in its circus. 

Slate is probably right. Pressure continues to mount on SeaWorld: ticket sales continue to decline, and corporations continue to pull partnerships. 

Although the reaction to the news is mostly positive, this still leaves current orcas in captivity, not living in the best conditions. But some experts say there's little other choice: whales bred in captivity cannot easily be released.  

Discussion Starters:

• Read SeaWorld's "5 Things You Need to Know. . ." Assess the content choices and approach. Who is the intended audience? Would they find this piece convincing? What questions might remain? 
• Should SeaWorld have made this decision long ago? Why or why not?

Wounded Warrior Project Exposed for Overspending

The Wounded Warrior Project, a not-for-profit organization that helps war veterans, is under fire for overspending. With 500 employees and $225 million raised in 2015, the organization seems, on surface, to be successful and doing good work. But its expenses show a different picture: 

• $250 million budgeted for soda and candy for its staff
• A CEO who was paid $470,000 a year
• Less than 60% of funds going to veterans (about 90% of top organizations' funds go to programming) 
• Lavish staff retreats, including one at a five-star resort that cost almost $1 million

The snack expenses have received particular attention. The budget was revealed in a senior executive's email about staff gaining weight. According to The Daily Best, "Emails reveal that the organization spent more than $46,000 on snacks at its Jacksonville, Florida, headquarters in summer 2015."

In addition, employees have been quoted saying the environment is like a "frat party" and that the outings aren't about team-building as claimed: "You don't learn anything about your teammates, you don't learn anything about how to better serve-you just have a good time at donors' expense, you have a good meal, and then everyone drinks."

Why hasn't this been reported sooner? According to another employee, the organization operates like a cult:

"It's a brainwashing, in essence… You need to be quiet, do what you're told, drink the Kool-Aid and parade around with that logo on. It's cult, it really is… it's like how you would train a monkey, if you do something give them a piece of candy-in this case you give them a T-shirt or a polo… it's extreme intimidation," 

According to The Times article, "At least half a dozen former employees said they were let go after raising questions about ineffective programs or spending."

No surprise, Wounded Warriors is also criticized for not meeting veterans' needs. Programming like cooking classes, yoga, hiking trips, and Lego clubs aren't that helpful. 

The CEO and COO have been ousted, and the board is trying to rebuild the organization. In a press release, management disputes many claims but admits, "The review also found that some policies, procedures and controls at WWP have not kept pace with the organization's rapid growth in recent years and are in need of strengthening."

Image source. 

Discussion Starters: 

• What do you think prevented employees from going to the press or other sources about Wounded Warriors' overspending? Even if jobs are threatened, we do have whistleblower laws to protect people. 
• In addition to the press release, what should Wounded Warriors do to rebuild trust? Do you think the organization will be successful, or is it hopeless?
• Will employees have a difficult time finding a new job? How can they discuss their experience in a job interview?

GS and Barclays Emails to Staff

A Goldman Sachs partner wrote an email to junior staff that was intended to be motivational. BusinessInsider writes, "every young person on Wall Street should read it.

Presumably, the impetus was a lot of unhappy people because of the market conditions and several recent employee departures. The email includes big pictures and few words. This is the first screen of it, and here's the rest. 

According to BusinessInsider, "We're told that the associates love it and they're passing it around internally." 

When Googling to find the email, I came across this Barclays email to interns from last summer. I'm not sure how I missed it, but it's an incredible example of Wall Street culture and communication.

The Washington Post published the email, calling it "the latest cringeworthy Wall Street memo to interns." It included "Ten Commandments" for new interns, such as bringing a spare tie for associates, wearing a bow tie, being the last one to leave at night "no matter what," and bringing a pillow to work for sleeping under the desk. The second commandment sounded overriding: "Remember: this is a summer internship for a full-time offer. It won't be easy. If you can't handle the heat, get out of the kitchen."

The Post received this response from Barclays management: 

"This email communication was in no way authorized by Barclays. Barclays is fully committed to creating an environment where both our bankers and our business can thrive. We have implemented policies and training guidelines to enable employees to gain valuable experience while at the same time maintaining a healthy work-life balance."

Discussion Starters: 

• Do you agree with BusinessInsider's assessment of the GS email? Why or why not? 
• What's your view of the large pictures? Do these help or detract from the written message? 
• How do you find the Barclays' "Ten Commandments" email? Does it match with your experience as an intern? 
• Discuss what may have happened internally at Barclays after The Washington Post published the email. Should intern managers have leeway in what they communicate to interns, or should their communication be held more tightly? 

250 Men's Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank Stores to Close

Tailored Brands has announced the closing of about 250 Men's Wearhouse and Jos. A Bank stores. The men's clothing stores aren't producing expected profits, and a recent change worsened the situation. Jos. A Bank held a "buy-one-get-three-free" promotion for years, which annoyed consumers, but eliminating the sales strategy lost comparable-store sales 14.6%. 

In a press release on its website, Tailored Brands explained the decision with quotations from CEO Doug Ewert.

"While our fourth quarter and full year results were consistent with our revised guidance, we remain very disappointed by the weak Jos. A. Bank results.  Our transition away from unsustainable promotions has proven significantly more difficult and expensive than we expected.  We do, however, remain confident that Jos. A. Bank offers a longer-term opportunity to profitably grow market share in the menswear business. Additionally, our Men's Wearhouse, Moores, and K&G brands continue to perform well, with profitability in line or ahead of our expectations. . . . 

As part of our store rationalization program we plan to close approximately 250 stores during fiscal year 2016. The store closures fall into three categories. First, we expect to close 80 to 90 full-line Jos. A. Bank stores which we believe have limited potential for meaningful profit improvement. Second, we will close all Jos. A. Bank (49) and Men's Wearhouse (9) outlet stores. We have determined that outlet stores, which collectively were not profitable, are not sufficiently differentiated enough from our core offerings and have not resonated with our customers. Lastly, we intend to close between 100 and 110 MW Tux stores. These closings are a continuation of our strategy of migrating tuxedo rentals to full line stores and reflective of our new partnership with Macy's, Tuxedo Shop @ Macy's.  We have refined our Tuxedo Shop @ Macy's rollout schedule and now plan to open 166 stores in 2016 with the balance of 122 stores to be opened in 2017."

Ewert did express his confidence in the remaining stores: "We do, however, remain confident that Jos. A. Bank offers a longer-term opportunity to profitably grow market share in the menswear business."

Discussion Starters: 

• Analyze the company's statement. Looking at the organization, style, tone, and so on, which principles of business writing are followed, and which are not?
• How will employees react to this news, particularly after the decision to end the suit promotion?

Zuckerberg Calls Out Employee About #AllLivesMatter

CEO Mark Zuckerberg isn't pleased with the Facebook employee who crossed out "Black Lives Matter" and wrote "All Lives Matter" on the company's graffiti wall. In an internal message to staff, Zuckerberg called the action "disrespectful" and "malicious." 

 

MPK refers to the company's Menlo Park, California, office. Overall, two percent of the company's employees are Black, and I'm sure this incident won't help with their recruiting efforts. The tech industry statistics, according to USA Today, are worse:

A fraction of the tech work force in Silicon Valley is African American and little progress has been made on  the problem. Only 1% of venture-capital-backed start-ups are led by African-Americans and less than 1% of general partners at major venture capital firms in Silicon Valley, the ones that back tomorrow's Facebooks and Googles, are African American.

The predominantly white male industry runs the risk of losing touch with the diverse nation - and world - that forms its customer base. At the same time African Americans are being excluded from the fastest-growing, highest-paying jobs in the nation.

The graffiti wall is an open space for employees to write anything-and yet, crossing out another's writing makes a statement in itself. Zuckerberg is taking a positive approach by inviting employees to learn more about the #BlackLivesMatter movement. 

Image source. 

Discussion Starters: 

• Explain the issue as you understand it. What are #BlackLivesMatter and #AllLivesMatter?
• What's your view of Zuckerberg's reaction and message to staff? 
• The company may find out who changed the marking, What, if any, action is appropriate to take against the employee?

Sponsor Trouble for Maria Sharapova

Russian Tennis star Maria Sharapova is in a tough spot. She admitted that she failed a drug test and has taken "full responsibility" for it. 

Sharapova said she was taking Meldonium, a medication for heart disease, which was added to the list of banned substances this year. She also said that the medication goes by another name, which she didn't know: "It is very important for you to understand that for 10 years this medicine was not on WADA's banned list, and I had been legally taking the medicine. But on January the first, the rules have changed." She also said, "I made a huge mistake. I let my fans down and I let the sport down."

But did she have to call the hotel's carpet "ugly"? 

Although her admission and apology are clear, her sponsors don't want to wait for more news. Nike issued this statement: "We are saddened and surprised by the news about Maria Sharapova. We have decided to suspend our relationship with Maria while the investigation continues. We will continue to monitor the situation." Tag Heuer and Porsche also cancelled contracts, with the former explaining, "We had been in talks to extend our collaboration. In view of the current situation, the brand has decided not to renew the contract with Sharapova."

As of today, Nike's website page, "Maria Sharapova News" shows positive stories about the star and no mention of the decision. 

Discussion Starters: 

• How well is Sharapova handling the situation? Assess the news conference. 
• Did Nike, Tag Heuer, and Porsche do the right thing? What pressures are on the sponsoring companies?

Criticism of Law Schools' Graduation Data

A 2008 graduate of Thomas Jefferson School of Law is suing the institution for luring students to enroll by using false post-graduation data. Anna Alaburda's claim is one of 15 similar suits, although all but two have been dropped or dismissed.

Alaburda has $170,000 worth of student debt and has not found a full-time job in law since her graduation. Students' claims are that law schools include jobs such as part-time waitressing in their employment stats, inflating their placement rates. According to an article in The New York Times, 

"Law schools labor to keep their employment data at the highest percentage level because it is a major factor in national law school rankings, which in turn give schools the credibility to charge six figures for a three-year legal education."

Since the charges, the American Bar Association has required law schools to give more information. On its website, you can download detailed statistics from all schools.

Overall, according to the National Association for Law Placement, rates have increased, but class size is shrinking, so it's tough to draw conclusions.

Discussion Starters: 

• What is a law school's responsibility to share placement rates with prospective students? How does it balance honesty with recruiting targets?
• How would you make a decision about whether to attend law school-or a particular school? What data would be important for you to consider?

Whole Foods' Orange Controversy

Whole Foods is selling pre-peeled, plastic-packaged oranges and has been criticized for it. The company touts sustainability measures, including, according to its mission statement, "reduced or reusable packaging, as well as encouraging shoppers to reduce waste through our 'nickel per bag' rebate program."

The tweet, at left, shows the company's decision, and a representative told Huffington Post, "a lot of our customers love the convenience of our cut produce offerings, but this was a simple case where a handful of stores experimented with a seasonal product spotlight that wasn't fully thought through. We're glad some customers pointed it out so we could take a closer look."

But people didn't like the decision to pull the oranges either. Some said they were useful for people with arthritis and other physical limitations. 

Whole Foods is struggling because of lower-cost organic sellers, such as Costco. Last year, the company was criticized for selling asparagus spears in a bottle of water for $5.99. This product was also pulled.

Discussion Starters: 

• What's your view of the pre-packaged orange? Is this a good product, does it contradict Whole Foods' mission, or both? 
• Did Whole Foods act hastily in pulling the product? Consider the company's decision process. 

The Republicans' 11th Debate

Insults flew during what theSkimm called the "1,000,000th GOP debate." Hosted by Fox News, the debate included the last four standing candidates: Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and John Kasich. Here's part 1:

After Trump's boycott of the previous debate, he and moderator Megyn Kelly started out on a better note:

"Mr. Trump. Hi. How are you doing?" Kelly said.

"Hi Megyn. You're looking well," Trump said.

BusinessInsider listed a few highlights of the debate, which I appreciate because I don't have the stomach for barbs about hair styles and body parts. Some clips relevant to communication follow:

9:18 p.m. EST - Trump dodged a question from Wallace about why some of his clothing line was made in Mexico instead of the US. Instead, Trump went after Rubio's assertion that the former reality-television star inherited $200 million from his father.

"This little guy has lied so much about my record," Trump said.

9:21 p.m. EST - Rubio slammed Trump for resorting to ad hominem attacks instead of addressing questions about policy. 

"You see what happens again when you challenge him on a policy issue?" Rubio said. "You ask him about economic issues, and he the first thing he does is launch into this thing about 'little Marco.'"

"He doesn't have answers and he's asking to be president of the United States."

10:23 p.m. EST -Rubio criticized Democrats for "politicizing" the water crisis in Flint, Michigan.

"The politicizing of it is unfair," Rubio said of the water crisis. "Because I don't think someone woke up some morning and said 'Let's poison people.'"

Discussion Starters:

• Assess the three examples above. How well did the candidates respond to the question or handle the issue?
• What do you consider to be the high points-and low points-of the debate?
• Who do you think "won" the debate?
• What, if any, influence will this debate have on the rest of the primary elections?

Snapchat Responds to Phising Scam

A Snapchat employee accidentally sent employees' personal information outside the company, and it has caused embarrassment. Snapchat has faced privacy concerns in the past, and now its own employees may question the company's security. 

The employee responded to a fake email that looked like it came from CEO Evan Spiegel. This is a common phising scam, which according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), is when "internet fraudsters impersonate a business to trick you into giving out your personal information." The FTC gives these examples of phising emails; we have all seen something similar:

• "We suspect an unauthorized transaction on your account. To ensure that your account is not compromised, please click the link below and confirm your identity."
• "During our regular verification of accounts, we couldn't verify your information. Please click here to update and verify your information."
• "Our records indicate that your account was overcharged. You must call us within 7 days to receive your refund."

Snapchat responded with an apology to its employees, posted on its blog: 

Discussion Starters: 

• What are some clues that an email address is fake? 
• Assess Snapchat's apology: word choice, tone, content, organization, and so on. 

Awkward Moment During VW Presentation

A protester didn't help Volkswagen's image during a press conference at the Geneva Motor Show. Dressed in a VW uniform, comedian Simon Brodkin got on stage to place a fake "cheat box" under the car while board member Jürgen Stackmann was speaking.  

Stackmann was in a tough spot and said "Thank you" repeated and awkwardly tried to escort Brodkin away from the car.

This isn't the first time Brodkin pulled a prank. During a FIFA press conference, he threw $600 in bills at President Sepp Blatter. After that stunt, Swiss authorities charged Brodkin with trespassing. 

Discussion Starters: 

• What's your view of Brodkin's antics? Is his approach more productive, disruptive, or destructive? 
• How well did Stackmann handle the incident? What could he have done differently? 

Clinton's "Abuela" Campaign Isn't Working Well

As of now, Hillary Clinton faces two Latino Republican adversaries: Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. Of course, both are behind Trump in the polls, but anything can happen. PewResearchCenter reports more than 25 million eligible Latino voters, and Clinton is trying to reach them. 

A post on her campaign site is titled, "7 Things Hillary Clinton Has in Common with Your Abuela." The list includes worrying about children, knowing what's best, and highlighting accomplishments.

Clinton is a new grandmother, so the analogy may be fitting, but the post, sprinkled with Spanish words like "Respecto" and memes, is called "Hispandering" by some of the people she's trying to attract. In response, #NotMyAbuela began trending on Twitter.

 

The post isn't in Clinton's usual style, and maybe it's sloppy: the URL title says "8 ways," but somehow, only seven made it to the list.

Discussion Starters:

• Did Clinton misstep with this campaign? Should she do anything in response?
• What should she do to reach Latino voters? Is it hopeless?

Chris Rock: It's About Opportunity

Chris Rock didn't disappoint as the host of this year's Academy Awards. His monologue focused on the question of racism, as expected for the second-year-in-row, all-white slate of nominees. 

Early on, Rock welcomed the crowd to the ceremony, "otherwise known as the White People's Choice awards." He also addressed his own critics directly by explaining why he didn't boycott. He concluded that the issue is about fairness: "We want opportunity. We want the black actors to get the same opportunities as white actors. That's it." 

In addition to the ten-minute monologue, jokes and parodies about #OscarsSoWhite continued throughout the night from Rock and other actors.

As the cameras panned the audience, we saw some awkward reactions. People seemed uncomfortable with some of the jokes, not quite sure whether they were funny or whether they should laugh.

One joke, about Asians, didn't go over well at all. Rock introduced "accountants" to the stage: three Asian children (one with a Jewish surname), dressed in suits. Mee Moua, of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, explained,

"Last night's ceremony, and particularly the 'joke' involving Asian children, which played off more than one damaging stereotype of Asians and Asian Americans, exposed one of the failings of how we talk about race in America: race relations are not a black-white binary," she said.

"It is to all of our detriment to look at race narrowly. We need to work together to dismantle the systems that devalue the experiences of minority groups so we can see the tales of the diversity that have shaped our nation reflected accurately."

Actress Constance Wu also weighed in.

Discussion Starters:

• What, if any, impact do you think Rock's performance will have on the Academy?
• What's your view of the accountant joke?
• How do you explain the audience's reactions at times? Consider how actors responded to some of the jokes.