In the modern media landscape, the treatment of once routine
corporate information has changed significantly. The internet has
erased the traditional borders between local, trade and national
media, increasing the need for issues management as facts and
opinion merge in unexpected way.
Boston Globe readers saw the phenomenon play out
this spring when columnist Brian McGrory took a hard look at
corporate conduct at Liberty Mutual Insurance Group.
SM& SVP, Ed Cafasso interviewed McGrory to uncover what
fueled his interest in Liberty Mutual and the thought process
behind his series of hard-hitting Metro columns about the
Fortune 100 company's executive compensation, board
governance and perks.
The article on the episode, published
nationally in the new issue of Public Relations
Strategist, serves as cautionary tale for executives of
leading private, public and mission-driven enterprises,
underscoring the growing need to prepare for and quickly defuse
opinion-driven media coverage of what typically are seen as humdrum
facts.
