Communicating amid conflict – Lessons from Ukraine
On 27th April, I joined the Crisis Communications Network for their session on ‘Communicating Amid Conflict: Lessons from Ukraine for Communicators in the Middle East’. The purpose of the session – run using an intentionally audience-led open house ‘drop in’ format – was to bring together senior communicators in the Middle East with colleagues in…
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The risk of our reliance on data centres – the challenge for crisis communicators
Who could have missed the craze for turning yourself into a Mattel-style action figure? Until recently, these colourful, quirky and uncannily realistic Al-generated images were popping up on every social platform going. Our family, friends and countless celebs have been immortalised as plastic packaged toys, complete with snappy names and pointless accessories. But these vanity…
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Why ‘Trainwreck: The Poop Cruise’ didn’t sink the cruise industry – a PR perspective
Netflix didn’t just revisit the Carnival Triumph incident with Trainwreck: The Poop Cruise – it tested something far more interesting. Whether one of the most infamous moments in modern cruising could still dent an entire industry, more than a decade on. When the documentary dropped in 2025, it revived global interest in the 2013 Carnival…
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Stormy Seas and Icebergs: Redefining the Line Between Issues and Crises
This week I joined the CIPR Crisis Communications Network for the latest in its “In Conversation With…” webinar series, this time featuring Dr Tony Jaques. Having navigated a diverse range of crisis comms situations over the last 20 years, I always enjoy sessions on this topic, but Tony’s talk has to be one of the…
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What the 2026 Middle East War Is Teaching Us About Communications
The war that escalated on 28 February 2026 has compressed years of theoretical discussion about information warfare into a matter of days. For communications professionals, it offers a live case study in what happens when the assumptions underpinning crisis plans meet reality — and how quickly those assumptions can fail. A prayer app as a…
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Why crisis response can’t save bad decisions
The effectiveness of crisis communications is rooted in proactive preparedness rather than reactive response. Organisations must integrate communications teams into decision-making processes before crises arise. By building reputations and relationships over time, they can better withstand challenges. Success in crises depends on prior investments in integrity and stakeholder trust.
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Cyber Risk: What Communicators Need to Know in 2026
The CIPR Crisis Communications Network kicked off its 2026 events calendar with an energetic discussion on one of the most pressing issues facing organisations today: cyber risk. With more than 190 people in attendance – a record for us! – the event brought together experts from across the cyber risk landscape to consider how cyber…
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Reputation, Risk and Resilience: how organisations can navigate increasing complexity in the new abnormal of volatility and challenge
Crisis expert Rod Cartwright is now synonymous with his ‘Reputation, Risk and Resilience’ report, which is in its third year and fast becoming the professional crisis communicator’s north star. His latest edition uniquely leverages 11 major reports, including from The Page Society, Deloitte, AXA, Edelman and the World Economic Forum, to give a three-dimensional analysis…
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HAPPY CHRISTMAS!
Festive Greetings! Wishing all our members and friends much happiness and joy during the festive season! Thank you all for supporting the CIPR Crisis Communications Network this year. We’ve had another great year! During 2025 our membership grew by 14% and we currently have 1,039 members based in more than 44 countries. In addition our global LinkedIn following…
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Put your people at the heart of your next crisis response – A book review by Jo Barrett
When I joined the CIPR’s Crisis Communications Network committee earlier this year, there was much talk about Alison Arnot’s blog on internal comms and crisis. It had resonated with our members and received hundreds of views, likes and comments. Something about this topic clearly struck a chord. As someone who has experienced a slew of…
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