The lesson topic is understanding public trust and how it impacts corporate reputation. Choose a news story from the past week or two where a loss of public trust has affected the reputation of a business, organization or individual. In addition to answering the questions below, make sure to cover specifically what caused the loss of public trust and what they seem to be doing to repair it.
Approach “In the Newsâ€� with an analytical eye and avoid simply repeating information from the article. Try to draw conclusions from the content provided, such as who are the target audiences, what are the key messages, and reputational impact of the issue, to name a few. Remember to analyze the situation through a “Strategic Communication” lens.
The news item can be from any news source with English language content. Submit a short summary and analysis of the news including a link to the story (1 page minimum-500 words).
- What happened, was announced or was reported publicly (shortest section)?
- How was the situation handled from a “strategic communication� standpoint (longest section)?
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- Are the stakeholders well defined; are the messages clear and delivered in a way that made a positive impact (give examples)?
- How did the business, individual, or government agency appear to be executing a strategy to build reputation or repairing reputational damage, e.g., what are they trying to achieve strategically in their communication (longest section)?
- What is being done to repair public trust (see 1st paragraph)?