THIS WEEK IN PR NEWS | FEBRUARY 20, 2015
Each week PRLab scours the internet to bring you the latest stories in public relations news. This week, Anthem pulls out its crisis plan to fix a recent security breach, Brian Williams breaks the number one PR rule of being honest and Facebook allows you to manage your profile in the afterlife. Check out the full stories below!
ANTHEM HACK
The story: Anthem, Inc. discovered a security breach on January 29, 2015. This could affect up to 80 million customers with information dating back as far as 2004. The hack gave access to customers Social Security numbers, birthdays, and home addresses.
What’s happening? Anthem is offering free identity theft protection for two years to any past or current customer who may have been affected by the breach. Anthem is currently working with the FBI and Mandiant, one of the world’s leading cybersecurity firms, to strengthen their security.
Why is this important? As Anthem begins their initial steps in Crisis Management, it will be interesting to watch how CEO Joseph Swedish handles it. This can hurt Swedish’s reputation, as it did to Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel, who resigned in the wake of Target’s security breach. There is a growing criticism of the company for not taking the proper steps to encrypt customer details in the first place.
THE BRIAN WILLIAMS SITUATION
The story: Brian Williams was taken off air of NBC News for misrepresenting events that occurred while he was covering the Iraq War.
What’s happening? Brian Williams is now suspended from NBC for 6 months without pay.
Why is this important? According to Gallup polls, Americans’ trust in mass media has declined since 2005 from 50% to 40%. The more staggering poll, however, was Americans’ confidence in Television News. From 1994 with 46%, the confidence has dropped to a low of 18%, and the Brian Williams scandal only seems to reinforce this. The removal of Brian Williams seems to say that news organizations are committed to reporting accurate news. It will be important to watch how the confidence trend continues.
FACEBOOK IMMORTALITY
The Story: Facebook announced recently that it will allow you to designate a friend or family member to be your executor so that your profile may live on after your death.
What’s happening? Previously, when Facebook was alerted of a user’s death, the page was just memorialized. No one had access to the posts or friend requests. Now, an executor can respond to friend requests, update cover photos and profile pictures, and archive posts. Once a person has passed away, Facebook will now tagline the persons name with “Remembering”.
Why is this important? Social media has become such an important part of our day-to-day lives, and now it will be preserved in the wake of our deaths. Now, social media presences will be preserved for as long as the executor themselves are alive.
FUN READS
THINGS TO KNOW
Economists with NBC News predicted that the economic impact from Blizzard Juno, if any, would be mild. Yet with the snow that piling higher every day in Boston and the limited MBTA service, it is hard to believe that there has not been any impact.
Restaurants have been hit pretty hard and are planning to use their social media accounts to present enticing discounts in order to lure more customers in during the harsh weather. (#DigOutDineOut – BostonTweet)
SEE YOU NEXT WEEK
