By Anne Ready To have a Covid-19 vaccine? No guarantees. To elect the President and Vice President of the most powerful nation in the world? Guaranteed. It is our right and our responsibility as citizens both to ourselves and our democracy. Please register to vote and ask everyone you meet: “Have you registered to vote yet? We have just …
The Press as a Sounding Board
Under pressure from an abusive tweet firestorm by Donald Trump: “a horrible and very unfair situation … cannot allow this miscarriage of justice!” The president objected to a stiff sentence for his one-time political consultant Roger Stone recommended by the four prosecutors in the case, all of whom have subsequently quit. The Attorney General went to the press. …
The Presidential Trend to Twitter
According to CNN, digital history was made in early 2010. Then President Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to personally “tweet” a message on the social networking site. Well, he pushed the button. “Welcome to Twitter, Mr. President – I’ll follow you if you follow me,” Tony Fratto, a former George W. Bush spokesman, joked to CNN by e-mail. …
The Battle for Credibility
Presidential Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders further jeopardized her credibility with the news media by responding defensively when caught in a lie. Instead of acknowledging the mistake, and apologizing, Ms. Sanders chose to attack the reporters along with their credibility. “Frankly, I think my credibility is probably higher than the media’s … I think that if you spent a little bit more …
Shooting from the Hip
Defined as “reacting suddenly or without careful consideration of one’s words or actions,” is the most recent fault of too many tweeters who experience very serious consequences. Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne), for example, recently published a racist tweet toward former Obama aide, Valerie Jarrett, resulting in ABC’s cancellation of Ms. Barr’s No. 1-rated TV show, her reruns scrapped and her dismissal from the talent …
Be Ready
“Be ready,” is the lesson marketing executives must now take, according to a recent New York Times article, “Planning for Unexpected Criticism by Trump.” Crisis consultant Andrew D. Gilman, who has counseled such brands as Johnson & Johnson, General Motors and Pepsi during crises advises “prepare for Mr. Trump as you would for a natural disaster — an event that …
Trumped Up
In the game of bridge, when you don’t have enough cards in the suit that’s being played, the trump card wins. And Donald Trump appears to be winning in the Republican presidential race of 2016. But he’s not playing well with others or winning the media game that is ultimately required in presidential politics. Following Mr. Trump’s complaints of Fox News …
Don’t Shoot the Messenger
Taking artistic license with Marshall McLuhan’s edict: the medium is the message, consider that the media is the messenger. Media coverage is designed to convey a subject’s agenda, thoughts and opinions. Donald Trump was unaware of how to use the media to his advantage when he took broadcast journalist Anderson Cooper to task after his questioning of Hilary Clinton during a recent …
Trump Gets Dumped
“You’re fired!” became the rallying cry of Donald Trump’s legendary NBC reality TV show, “The Apprentice.” The billionaire presidential candidate has now been fired himself from many partnerships after a recent speech. “When Mexico sends its people, they aren’t sending their best,” Mr. Trump stated, “They’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime, they’re rapists, and some, I assume, are good people. …