QUOTE OF THE DAY “Choose to be optimistic; it feels better.”—The 14th Dalai Lama COVID-19 UPDATE At the time of reporting, The New York Times showed 1,990,122 cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. and 112,174 deaths. Bing’s COVID-19 Tracker reports 2,020,318 cases in the U.S. and 113,657 deaths. Nineteen states have seen rising COVID-19 cases, and Arizona has asked its hospitals to activate emergency plans to respond. Despite the virus’ killing as many as 1,000 Americans per day, the White House hasn’t addressed the rise in cases, and President Donald Trump plans to resume campaign events. Treasure Secretary Steven Mnuchin has informed lawmakers that the next round of economic stimulus should target industries hit hard by COVID-19. The Dow was down more than 200 points ahead of the latest Fed update.
Make your CEO your chief communicator in a crisis. Your messaging requires an authentic spokesperson, and that usually should be your top leader. Here’s how to put top executives at the center of your crisis response plan.
How to generate action toward racial justice and equity. A panel of top-tier communicators shared how organizations can help combat inequality both inside and outside workplace walls. Here are some of their insights and suggestions. Advertisers reconsider Facebook investments over handling of Trump’s posts. After the platform publicly refused to address comments from the president that seemed to incite more violence and division in the wake of protests about racial justice, some marketers are reevaluating their relationship. The New York Times wrote: “I think this is Facebook’s time of reckoning,” said Dave Morgan, the chief executive of Simulmedia, a company that works with advertisers on targeted television advertising. “It may not be immediate or dramatic, but advertisers have given Facebook a lot of passes and now we are hearing they are saying it will be harder to stand back.” Make sure your internal messaging is inclusive. One communicator shares seven ways you can address bias an discrimination, including books you can read, organizations you can support and immediate steps you can take within your own workplace. Twitter and Square make Juneteenth a company holiday. The day commemorates the ending of slavery in the United States and is marked each year on June 19. Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s CEO, announced the move in a tweet: Adidas commits to 30% of new positions going to workers of color. The move comes after hundreds of employees walked off the job to demand that the company do more to support black employees. CNN reported: "The events of the past two weeks have caused all of us to reflect on what we can do to confront the cultural and systemic forces that sustain racism," Adidas CEO Kasper Rorsted said in Tuesday's statement. "We have had to look inward to ourselves as individuals and our organization and reflect on systems that disadvantage and silence Black individuals and communities," he said. "While we have talked about the importance of inclusion, we must do more to create an environment in which all of our employees feel safe, heard and have equal opportunity to advance their careers." Yorkshire Tea takes a stand on Twitter over Black Lives Matter. After a user tweeted approval that the company hadn’t shared support for the BLM movement, the brand responded by telling the user: “Please don’t buy our tea again.” The moment shows the importance of being ready to respond in real time on social media during a crisis. Make sure your leadership team reflects your public commitments. No amount of messaging will make up for a lack of diversity in your circle of top leaders. Here are some ways you should be thinking about purpose and authenticity as you address racial equity within your organization. Reddit adds first black board member following founder’s request. Alexis Ohanian said he was stepping down from the board to make room for a diverse candidate—and the company followed through with the addition of Y Combinator CEO Michael Seibel. CNN reported: "I've known Steve and Alexis since 2007 and have been a Reddit user ever since," Seibel said in a statement Wednesday. "I'm excited to help provide advice and guidance as Reddit continues to grow and tackle the challenges of bringing community and belonging to a broader audience." GM CEO Mary Barra takes responsibility for addressing inclusion and diversity. The leader joined LinkedIn’s “This is Working” to expand on comments she sent in a letter to employees. Her message: “It’s my responsibility as CEO of this company to make sure it doesn’t fall off the agenda” She wrote in her letter: Let’s stop asking “why” and start asking “what.” What are we going to do? In this moment, we each must decide what we can do – individually and collectively – to drive change… meaningful, deliberate change. As one of the largest global companies, there is much we can do. Virtual Conference Alert Join us for Ragan & PR Daily's Social Media & Digital Communications Virtual Conference on June 18–19 to learn brand strategies and best practices to meet the challenges of the new reality. Join our Crisis Leadership Board Ragan’s Crisis Leadership Board is the resource you need before, during and after the crisis. As a Board member, you have access to all back issues of this newsletter—as well as research, data, case studies, checklists, tip sheets, articles and other resources—plus a peer-to-peer discussion board and an all-access pass to the annual Crisis Management Conference. Sponsorship/Advertising Opportunities Contact Hannah Lavelle at HannahL@ragan.com with sponsorship and advertising inquiries. Pitch Us Have a great story to share about crisis communication or your own take on current best practices? Contact Editor Ted Kitterman at TedK@ragan.com. Sign Up Subscribe to Ragan’s Crisis Daily newsletter today. | 