Waaaay off-message

The big issue right now in U.S. federal politics is the future of social security. (Everything you want to know about how this is shaking down is covered diligently at Talking Points Memo.) The Republican mantra as they plan to privatize large swaths of the program...

Damage control: how to do it

Not 24 hours after a media spitstorm, Her Excellency comes out smelling like a rose… and shows the rest of us how to handle a bad-news day. Here’s how: She responded immediately, and made herself available: “Hearing the story on CBC Radio Thursday...

How not to handle a screw-up

You might want to think twice before booking with Jetsgo, if Penney Kome’s tale of stranded passengers at Pearson is any indication: Other airlines called in more staff (and presumably paid overtime wages) to respond to the crisis. Not only did Jetsgo lack crew...

Come one, come all

The as-yet-not-really-confirmed trend of post-Enlightenment Americans flocking across the Canadian border may yet translate into a real flow of traffic if the folks at CanadianAlternative.com get their way. The site promotes the Canadian advantage in Medicare, foreign...

Speechwriting: the next generation

Just got a message from a public relations student asking me for advice on a speechwriting career. I resisted the competition-stifling urge to invent some dire reason why she should go into some other field (“You’re very brave, given all that media...
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