Red Cross Apologizes for Poster
The Red Cross tried to be inclusive by showing kids of different races in its "Be Cool, Follow the Rules" poster about pool safety. But when you look closely, you see that most white kids are "cool," and most kids of color are "not cool."
The "not cool" kids of color are running, diving over a white kid, and pushing a white kid. The Red Cross responded directly to tweets, for example, "@EmmyBetzThank you for bringing this to our attention. We're removing this from our site immediately & are creating new materials," and "@Jsawyer330We removed this poster within 24 hours. We didn't scrutinize it like we should have, and apologize for any offense."
In addition, the organization issued this statement:
Red Cross Issues Statement on Water Safety Poster
Monday, June 27, 2016 (Washington, D.C.) – The American Red Cross appreciates and is sensitive to the concerns raised regarding one of the water safety posters we produced. We deeply apologize for any misunderstanding, as it was absolutely not our intent to offend anyone. As one of the nation's oldest and largest humanitarian organizations, we are committed to diversity and inclusion in all that we do, every day.
To this end, we have removed the poster from our website and Swim App and have discontinued production. We have notified all of our partner aquatic facilities requesting they take down the poster. Our organization has emphasized to our partners and on social media that it was absolutely not our intent to offend anyone and apologized for this inadvertent action. We are currently in the process of completing a formal agreement with a diversity advocacy organization for their guidance moving forward.
For more than 100 years, part of the Red Cross mission has been to help everyone be safe in, on and around the water. Countless lives have been saved with our water safety educational and aquatics programs. In order to further support our mission and dedication to inclusion, we launched our Aquatics Centennial Campaign (www.redcross.org/centennialswim) in 2014. We are working to reduce the drowning rate in 50 high-risk communities over a 5-year period by helping to teach at least 50,000 more children and adults to swim. With this campaign, we are focusing on areas with higher-than-average drowning rates and participants who otherwise wouldn't have the opportunity to take swim lessons.
Once again, we apologize for any inadvertent misunderstanding with regard to the production of this poster, and believe we have taken every step to address the situation.
Discussion Starters:
- What's your view of the poster? A lifeguard called it "super racist." Do you agree?
- Assess the Red Cross's statement. How does the organization use principles of persuasion to address concerns?
Facebook Training About Political Bias
With the upcoming presidential election, Facebook is training employees to check their political biases. Google and other companies have been helping employees identify unconscious biases about race and other differences. After criticism that Facebook weeds out conservative stories on its "trending topics" feature, the company is including political bias in its training program.
In May, an article reported several contractors who were "curators" of these trending topics admitting they were told to "inject" topics management deemed of interest and to suppress stories about Facebook as a company in the feed. Facebook denied these charges:
My team is responsible for Trending Topics, and I want to address today's reports alleging that Facebook contractors manipulated Trending Topics to suppress stories of interest to conservatives. We take these reports extremely seriously and have found no evidence that the anonymous allegations are true.
Facebook is a platform for people and perspectives from across the political spectrum. There are rigorous guidelines in place for the review team to ensure consistency and neutrality. These guidelines do not permit the suppression of political perspectives. Nor do they permit the prioritization of one viewpoint over another or one news outlet over another. These guidelines do not prohibit any news outlet from appearing in Trending Topics.
Including political bias in the company's "Managing Bias" training program is a clever approach to the issue, and Facebook has sought advice from leading political conservatives to help. COO Sheryl Sandberg explains the goal:
"It is a political time and we're proud of the role we play in elections, not just here but around the world. The vision of Facebook was to enable individuals to connect, but to connect not just to their friends and family, but also to the people who are representing them and who they want to represent them."
Sandberg also said that Donald Trump has more Facebook fans than Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders combined.
Facebook's Managing Bias training is available online.
Discussion Starters:
- Have your own biases interfered with working relationships? Or have others' biases affected you? How did you handle the situation, and what was the result?
- What could training for political bias look like? How could this training help employees with their coworkers, in addition to helping the curators?
Bad Advice from Grammarly
After clicking "Skip Video" about a dozen times on YouTube, I finally watched the Grammarly ad and tried the product. In a 15-page document, the tool identified nine "critical issues," only two of which were errors, and I would hardly call them "critical": a missing serial comma (from a CNN quote) and an unnecessarily hyphenated word.
The other seven were not mistakes; if I make the recommended corrections, I will have far more grammatical problems than when I started.
The original document is a case study, "SeaWorld Responds to the Movie Blackfish."
Here are the items marked as errors:
| My Original Version | Grammarly's Correction | My Comment |
| SeaWorld, a theme-park operator | Possibly confused word. Did you mean theme park? | No, I meant to hyphenate the compound adjective. |
| several other groups cancelled performances | Cancelled is British spelling. | Technically correct, but either spelling is acceptable in the United States. |
| debate over orcas continues | Change to the plural form, continue. | No, continues follows debate, not orcas, which is part of a prepositional phrase. |
| The November 6, 2013, article | Article usage (The) is incorrect. | No, it's not: "The...article..." |
| Nowhere does the article mention SeaWorld's response. | Consider replacing the period with a question mark. | No, it's a statement, not a question. |
| The revenue up-tick may have been | Did you mean uptick? | OK! You got me. Uptick is acceptable without the hyphen. |
| Dawn Brancheau's family, friends and colleagues | Insert a comma. | This is a quotation from CNN, and yes, I should add the serial comma after friends. |
| literally millions of safe interactions | Change to million because it's modifying a noun. | No, this is a tweet quotation, and it is correct as is. |
| Also in February, SeaWorld sponsored ads on Facebook | Add a hyphen: SeaWorld-sponsored ads. | No, sponsor is a verb here, not a noun modified by SeaWorld-sponsored. |
In addition to these markings, Grammarly says I have 38 "advanced issues" that I can see if I pay for an upgrade. The upgrade also gives me access to the plagiarism checker, which sounds like a teacher's nightmare: if students change a few words, will they circumvent tools like Turnitin?
Discussion Starters:
- After reading this, would you use or recommend Grammarly? It could be useful for international students, but I worry that it gives bad advice.
- Try the product on one of your own documents. How does it work for you?
Airbnb and AHLA Argue About Use and Impact
The American Hotel and Lodging Association reports "83% of Airbnb revenue in Boston-or $40 million-comes from operators listing units for rent more than 30 days per year." This is damming criticism because it claims that operators (or "hosts," which Airbnb prefers) are more like hotel owners avoiding taxes.
But Airbnb disputes the data and told the Business Journal that 86% of Boston hosts share their primary residence and earn an average of $5,900 for sharing 45 nights each year.
It's difficult to know where the truth lies. The AHLA study was sponsored by the association and data were gleaned from Airbnb by John W. O'Neill, a professor of hospitality management and director of the center for hospitality real estate strategy at Penn State University's School of Hospitality Management.
Airbnb spokesperson Christopher Nulty called the report "factually inaccurate" and said, "The AHLA is out of touch with the increasing number of consumers and cities embracing the tremendous benefits of home sharing. Airbnb is working with cities across the country and around the globe to create clear, fair home sharing rules and to collect and remit hotel taxes on behalf of our community, and we support similar efforts in Boston and across Massachusetts."
Fights for and against Airbnb continue throughout the country. Airbnb has reached agreements with some cities to automatically charge a 3% tax on all rentals, but other cities are hoping to ban short-term rentals entirely. New York City already prevents rentals for fewer than 30 days, but a proposed measure would fine owners for posting properties online.
Discussion Starters:
- What could explain the discrepancy in Airbnb data?
- Compare persuasive strategies used by the AHLA and Airbnb. How does each use emotional appeal in addition to data to support their argument?
Responses to Boy's Death at Disney
A two-year-old boy was taken by an alligator at the edge of a lagoon at a Florida Disney Resort. His body was recovered 16 hours after the attack.
Jacquee Wahler, vice president of the Walt Disney World Resort, said, "Everyone here at the Walt Disney World Resort is devastated by this tragic accident. Our thoughts are with the family. We are helping the family and doing everything we can to assist law enforcement." Wahler also said, "We are conducting a swift and thorough review of our processes and protocols. This includes the number, placement and wording of our signage and warnings.''
The president of Walt Disney World also posted a short statement:
There are no words to convey the profound sorrow we feel for the family and their unimaginable loss. We are devastated and heartbroken by this tragic accident and are doing what we can to help them during this difficult time.
On behalf of everyone at Disney, we offer them our deepest sympathy.
Disney did display "No swimming" signs around the lagoon, and people are questioning whether this is enough. Alligators are common in the lagoons, but attacks are rare.
Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings was interviewed on the day of the attack and then announced when the body was found, on June 16.
Discussion Starters:
- Should Disney do more to protect people? Research the situation before you respond.
- Beyond the statement you read here, what else, if anything, should Disney say?
Email to LinkedIn's Staff
In addition to the news announcements about Microsoft's acquisition of LinkedIn, LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner wrote an email to staff. His tone is excited and a bit bewildered:
"No matter what you're feeling now, give yourself some time to process the news. You might feel a sense of excitement, fear, sadness, or some combination of all of those emotions. Every member of the exec team has experienced the same, but we've had months to process. Regardless of the ups and downs, we've come out the other side knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt, this is the best thing for our company."
Weiner described several benefits of the acquisition, including increasing LinkedIn's reach, expanding into other human capital solutions for companies, and integrating Lynda.com courses. Employees are probably happy to read about LinkedIn's ability to stay independent, which may mean less change and fewer layoffs.
Weiner, by the way, will walk away with almost $30 million from the sale.
In a video with Weiner, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella talks about his interest in LinkedIn and says he had been thinking about an acquisition for a long time.
Discussion Starters:
- How would you summarize the benefits of the acquisition? Are you convinced by these communications that the move is positive for LinkedIn?
- How would you feel if you were a LinkedIn employee? What concerns would you have? What is the best way for the CEOs to address them?
Communications About Orlando Tragedy
The tragic shooting at an Orlando, FL, gay club has brought communications from local politicians, global mourners, and of course, presidential candidates. The killer's motive could be homophobia, terrorism, or both, depending on your perspective. With 50 people dead and another 53 wounded, this is the largest attack since 9/11 and has left people wondering how and why.
Here's a summary of communications about the event:
- President Obama's statement. Sadly, this isn't his first speech following a shooting tragedy in this country, and his message is consistent about needing more gun control.
- The National Rifle Association's op-ed in USA Today.
- News conference with police chief, FBI, and mayor, June 12 (below)
- Police chief's news conference, June 13
- Orlando college statements offering condolences and support.
- Presidential candidates' statements:
Discussion Starters:
- Compare the presidential candidates' statements. How do their positions differ, and which do you most support?
- Assess the news conference. How are the officials sharing responsibilities, reporting on events, demonstrating sympathy, and so on?
Lancome Criticized for Cancelling a Performer
The cosmetics company Lancome had hired Denise Ho, a Canto-pop star, to perform at a free concert. A democracy activist, Ho was criticized by a Bejing paper, and Lancome cancelled the show. The company now faces criticism, which the South China Morning Post says is its own fault:
"What's a definite no-no is to hire someone like Ho and then promptly ditch her after an official mainland newspaper complains. That not only makes you look spineless and unprincipled, it shows you are incompetent, which is more unforgivable in the corporate world."
Ho had questioned the decision in a statement posted in Chinese on Facebook:
I understand that this was a decision made by Lancôme's head office. Here I demand Lancôme's head office spell out the reasons behind the decision. The company owes me and the public a proper explanation.
Freedom, justice and equality are the values cherished by the people of Hong Kong. If we are penalised for defending our rights and upholding our beliefs, this is not just about me any more. Our value system has been completely distorted.
The company made one short statement: "Hong Kong Actress Denise Ho is not a spokesperson of LANCOME. We are sorry for the confusion caused. Thank you for your continuous support to LANCOME."
Of course, that wasn't enough, and a longer statement, shown here, came later.
Discussion Starters:
- Ho was arrested in the 2014 Umbrella Movement. Should Lancome have known better? Or stuck with its initial decision?
- Assess Lancome's statements. What else, if anything, should the company say?
At Last, Email Help?
Email "triage" tools can help us organize and our messages and, maybe, make better decisions about our communications. Hiri seems to focus on how people use email rather than on the tool itself. After all, we're the problem, not email.
The company makes big claims: "Communication is the soul of your company. Hiri is an email app that helps you save time, organise your day, and improve communication." We'll see, but the app does have some nifty features:
- A weekly score of your clarity, brevity, and tone. (I'm curious about how this is rated.)
- A forced wait time of 30 minutes, to avoid checking email too often. This could be frustrating, but checking too often causes stress, according to some studies.
- Distinguishing emails that require action from FYIs. Tasks are created from emails that require a response or action. This could be useful to diminish attention to all those emails on which we're copied.
Discussion Starters:
- How could these features help people organize their time and improve communication?
- Which email triage tools have you used in the past, and how have you found them helpful?
Outrage Over Stanford Sexual Assault Case
A Stanford student's light sentence and father's appeal have outraged thousands. Brock Turner was a Stanford University student who sexually assaulted an unconscious woman behind a dumpster and fought the case in court. Turner received a six-month sentence in county jail and probation, although the maximum allowable was 14 years.
The victim read a long letter to the judge, which has received almost 9 million views as of this writing. Her speech was impassioned and told her story: how she didn't know what happened to hear until she read it on the internet, how damaged she has been since the attack, and so on. It is an emotional, gripping speech that is difficult, but important to read.
Turner's father didn't help his son or the public outrage with his defensive letter, including, "That is a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20 plus years of life." ThinkProgress calls the letter "impossibly offensive," and most people agree.
A letter to Brock's father challenges him to recognize:
I need you to understand something, and I say this as a father who dearly loves my son as much as you must love yours:
Brock is not the victim here.
His victim is the victim.
She is the wounded one.
He is the damager.
In a statement, Stanford assured the public that the university did everything within its power.
Discussion Starters:
- Optional: Read the victim's letter. What makes her statement so compelling?
- What's your view of the father's response? The public response?
J.P. Morgan Eases Its Dress Code
J.P. Morgan is following other companies and easing its dress policy. As the biggest asset holder, the bank may lead a trend among financial services firms. Wall Street banks are known for their pinstripe suits and ties, but CEO Jamie Dimon is often seen dressing down.
An email to staff explained the new policy, which allows khaki pants and polo shirts but not halter tops, and encourages dressing up for client meetings. The company already had a weekend dress policy in place.
Barclays implemented a similar policy last year but had to clarify: no flip flops. And J.P. Morgan warned with this change that it's not the same as weekend casual, which could mean jeans and more causal wear.
A man I know complained about his not-for-profit organization's policy that disallowed shorts but allowed skirts for women. The organization changed its policy and now allows some shorts.
Image source (from WSJ video).
Discussion Starters:
- Why did this take so long? Many of the banks' clients are tech employees in jeans and shorts.
- What's your view of dress policies that disallow shorts but allow skirts?
UCLA Responds to Shootings
It's another sad day of shootings, this time at UCLA, leaving two dead in what seems like a murder-suicide.
The university has published several communications to keep the community informed and help people deal with this tragedy:
- An email from Chancellor Gene Block, also posted on the university's website
- A news statement on the website
- A press conference with the Chancellor, posted on YouTube
Messages offer condolences and counseling, thank police and others who responded, and focus on healing. Trying to get back to some sense of normality, the university will resume classes except in the engineering building where a professor was killed. Provost Scott Waugh explains: "Obviously there's a lot of very distressed students, faculty and staff. And our goal within the school is to heal those wounds and make sure that they feel comfortable with the situation before resuming normal activities."
Discussion Starters:
- Who are the primary and secondary audiences for the university's messages?
- Assess the chancellor's press statement. What principles of delivering bad news and delivering oral presentations does he use?
Zoo Defends Killing Gorilla
Although reports say a boy "fell" into a gorilla cage at a the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, the zoo says the boy "climbed through a public barrier." Harambe the gorilla was shot and killed on the spot. A YouTube video showing part of the incident received more than 14 million views so far, and people on both sides of the argument are outraged.
With the hashtag #JusticeforHarambe, animal activists and others question the zoo's decision and blame the parents.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) says this situation is another example of why people shouldn't gawk at animals in captivity.
The zoo explained the decision in a media statement, in a Facebook post, and during a press conference. The director scolded people who dispute the decision, saying they don't understand silverback behavior and weren't there to assess the situation. He has a point: people view a one-minute clip on YouTube and decide that the gorilla was holding the boy's hand and helping him to safety. But what do we know?
Discussion Starters:
- What's your view, given what you have read about the situation? Did the zoo act appropriately? What else would you like to know in order to make a judgement call?
- Assess the zoo's three communications: media statement, Facebook post, and press conference. What, if anything, can management do differently to address the criticism?
Email Clouds Our Judgement
Hasn't email ruined enough vacations, marriages, and careers? Will it now steal a chance at the presidency? Hillary Clinton's server issue is a symptom of a deeper problem: email causes us to make bad decisions. Several times, she admitted that she wished she had acted differently. We have all made mistakes on email: sent it to the wrong person, replied all, or sent a half-drunk, angry message in the middle of the night.
Millennials take blame for being constantly connected, but the Boomers are just as guilty, and we should know better. We know that email lives forever: on the sender's server, on the receiver's server, in print, posted on social media sites-in countless crevices. And double deleting doesn't save us from legal discovery software.
We assume a level of privacy because email has driven us to communicate quickly, often without any sense at all. We accept privacy policies without reading them, manage 122 emails a day, and "shoot" each other emails. As mobile use increases, email joins IM and texts, for which people expect an immediate response.
Advice and tools abound to reduce email dependence and volume. We should check email less often, use triage tools, and stop sending so damn many of them.
But these behavioral approaches miss the point: we love email. The immediacy and volume feed the micromanager's feelings of disconnection and lack of trust, making us dependent on email to function. We risk reputational and relational damage to maintain our addiction.
Clinton has experienced on a large scale what we have all come to realize about email: it owns us, and we are to blame.
Everyone needs a private cave like Fitzgerald Grant's on Scandal, and perhaps Clinton will get one. In the meantime, let's remember that no email message-nor any written communication that travels via the web or satellite-is truly private.
German Chocolate Company Responds to Racist Comments
Germans reacted strongly when pictures of non-whites on the packaging of Kinder chocolate were replaced by children who looked African or Middle Eastern.
The main group disputing the new photos is the Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West (Pegida), which supports Germany's anti-immigration movement. Comments were harsh and called racist, and the group members seemed to miss that the photos are of their own national soccer players when they were young. This was part of a Kinder marketing campaign before the Euro 16 Football tournament starts in about two weeks in France.
Some stood in defense of the company.
The manufacturer, an Italian company, responded to critics: "Ferrero would like to expressly distance itself from all kinds of xenophobia and discrimination."
Discussion Starters:
- Should the marketing campaign have been more obvious? Do you think Ferrero was making a political statement?
- Assess the company's short response. What else, if anything, should the company say?
Persuasion for Britain to Leave the EU
British celebrities have joined forces and signed a letter to convince Britons to stay with the European Union.
In the letter, 282 big names (most of which I never heard of) from film, fashion, art, music, and theater focus on "EU markets and influence, access to EU funding, and movement of talent." The letter body follows:
The EU referendum marks the biggest democratic decision of our time, and the outcome will have lasting and far-reaching consequences for the future of this country for generations to come.
The referendum forces us to look in the mirror and ask ourselves: what kind of nation do we want to be? Are we outward-looking and open to working with others to achieve more? Or do we close ourselves off from our friends and neighbours at a time of increasing global uncertainty?
From the smallest gallery to the biggest blockbuster, many of us have worked on projects that would never have happened without vital EU funding or by collaborating across borders. Britain is not just stronger in Europe, it is more imaginative and more creative, and our global creative success would be severely weakened by walking away.
And what would ‘Out' really mean? Leaving Europe would be a leap into the unknown for millions of people across the UK who work in the creative industries, and for the millions more at home and abroad who benefit from the growth and vibrancy of Britain's cultural sector.
From the Bard to Bowie, British creativity inspires and influences the rest of the world. We believe that being part of the EU bolsters Britain's leading role on the world stage.
Let's not become an outsider shouting from the wings.
Creative Industries Federation survey
Among reasons cited for the vote of confidence in Europe by Creative Industries Federation members were:
Access to EU markets and influence - the EU is the largest export market for the UK creative industries, totalling 56% of all overseas trade in the sector. It is vital that Britain is able to influence regulatory discussions which may have a bearing on future trading, such as the current discussions around the creation of the Digital Single Market.
Access to EU funding – the Creative Europe programme has provided seed funding for films such as The King's Speech, The Iron Lady and Slumdog Millionaire. ERDF funding has provided vital support to arts organisations in the regions, including the Liverpool Everyman and Sage Gateshead. In addition, Federation cultural education members benefit from the €80bn innovation fund, Horizon 2020. All this could be imperilled.
Movement of talent – the UK is a creative hub. Close collaboration with EU partners is key to Britain maintaining this position. From orchestras to art schools to architecture firms, the UK's creative industries are enriched by the diversity of cultural exchange and strengthened by the movement of talent across the EU.
The creative industries have been the fastest growing sector of the UK economy since 2008 and added £84.1bn GVA to the economy last year.
The creative industries employ 1.8m people in this country (1 in 17 jobs in the UK; and 1 in 8 jobs in London). [DCMS stats from January 2016 – 2014 figures].
The creative economy (includes the contribution of those who are in creative occupations outside the creative industries) employ 2.8m people in this country (1 in 11 jobs in UK; and 1 in 6 jobs in London).
Not everyone agrees. A columnist for The Guardian wrote an article titled, "The luvvies' Brexit letter only shows most people vote with their wallets." According to The New York Times, "luvvies" is "a satirical term borrowed from Private Eye magazine to describe Britain's self-enamored stars."
The New York Times article compares this effort to another political celebrity move: J.K. Rowlings opposed Scotland's independence, and didn't win herself any favors as a result.
Discussion Starters:
- How convincing do you find the celebrities' letter? Which are the strongest and weakest arguments?
- What's your view of celebrity involvement in political controversies? How does these differ, or do they, from celebrity product endorsements?
FDA Changes the Nutrition Label
For the first time since the early 1990s, the Food and Drug Administration has updated the nutrition label that appears on packaged foods. The agency is proud of the change, calling it a "major step." Michelle Obama has been part of the process and is quoted in the FDA's press release: "This is going to make a real difference in providing families across the country the information they need to make healthy choices."
The major changes, in case they're hard to notice, include bigger calorie and serving size numbers, and a new line for added sugars.
I have to say I'm disappointed. This is the first change in more than 20 years, when the label was introduced. Although these modifications are important, they say little for the FDA's ability to rethink what information people need to make good food choices and how it could be best represented.
Is there no other visual that could help people? A more dramatic change, in itself, might encourage people to look. Also, the percentages are still based on a 2,000-calorie diet, which the FDA deems average, but this doesn't suit everyone.
This change comes when the FDA is under pressure to revise what it calls "healthy" food. This month, The Wall Street Journal questioned the agency's logic. According to the FDA, avocados and almonds aren't healthy because they are high in fat. Frosted Flakes and low-fat Pop Tarts are okay because the requirements don't include other factors, such as sugar content. The FDA responded to The WSJ's inquiry: "We believe now is an opportune time to re-evaluate regulations concerning nutrient content claims, generally, including the term ‘healthy.'"
We'll look forward to those changes happening soon.
Discussion Starters:
- What other type of visual could help people make decisions about food?
- Why do you think the label has stayed the same for more than 20 years?
Will Anyone Miss the Time Warner Cable Brand?
The Time Warner Cable brand, which Bloomberg calls "beleaguered," will cease to exist. Synonymous with poor customer service and frequent outages, the company is merging with Charter Communications, which will expire the name.
David VanAmburg, managing director of American Customer Satisfaction Index, said, "Nobody in the cable industry performs particularly well. One merger isn't going to change structural issues with pricing, infrastructure and battles with content providers. When there's not a great deal of competition in an industry, you're not going to get great satisfaction scores."
Charter will introduce "Spectrum," new products and offerings from Time Warner and Bright House Networks, which Charter also recently purchased.
In a statement obviously written for Wall Street analysts, Charter Communications announced the merger deal.
Discussion Starters:
- The company has a lot more work to do than simply changing the name. What are your experiences with Time Warner, and how do you think they can improve service?
- This is a critical time for Charter. What should the company communicate now about its plans?
Amtrak Apologizes, Again
It took a year, but the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) finally announced the cause of an Amtrak crash in May 2015 that killed eight and injured about 200 people. The driver had accelerated to 106 mph, although the limit for a curve on the track was less than half that. Turns out, the driver was distracted by an emergency situation involving another train, which the driver heard on the radio. The NTSB press release calls this "the result of a loss of situational awareness."
The NTSB report includes 11 safety recommendations and notes that "positive train control, a technology that could have automatically stopped the train and prevented the derailment" wasn't in place. Amtrak has since implemented the technology and issued this statement, included in a Yahoo article:
"Amtrak has taken full responsibility for and deeply regrets the tragic derailment of Northeast Regional Train 188. Our hearts go out to the families who suffered a loss, the passengers and employees who were injured and to everyone onboard the train," the company said in a statement, adding that they would "quickly implement" the NTSB's recommendations after a review.
On its Facebook page last May, Amtrak wrote this apology. Both statements are big improvements over the service updates we usually see from Amtrak and MetroNorth after accidents. Of course such updates are important, but so are apologies-and not only when the company is found to be at fault.
Discussion Starters:
- Compare the two apologies from Amtrak. Should the organization do something differently now?
- How can transportation companies balance important service updates with apologies in crisis situations?
Data Visualization as a "Discipline"
A Harvard Business Review article reminds us to focus on our message when visualizing data. Author Scott Berinato suggests asking ourselves two questions to start:
- Is the information conceptual or data-driven?
- Am I declaring something or exploring something?
Berinato then identifies four types of visual communication: idea illustration, idea generation, visual discovery, and everyday dataviz. For idea illustration, he offers a weak and an improved example. You'll notice that the first includes elements of "chart junk" that detract from the message.
Discussion Starters:
- How does Berinato's second example illustrate principles from Chapter 9 in the text book?
- Consider a message you need to communicate. How does this article help you decide what visuals would support your points?