October 2009
The entire seven-year Atkinson Advisor collection is now online.
Past issues have always been on our website, but they have never been in a user-friendly format like the new microsite. Here are all the things readers now can do:
We are in the process of tagging stories by topic (e.g. crisis communications) as another way to browse the content.
We appreciate all of our great readers and hope the new microsite is useful. We look forward to your feedback and constantly improving the Atkinson Advisor.
August 2009
A recent statistic caught us off guard. The following are the top five countries in the world by population:
1. China — 1.33 billion
2. India — 1.17 billion
3. United States — 307 million
4. Indonesia — 230 million
5. Brazil — 191 million
If Facebook were a country, it would be No. 4 in this list. The wunderkind of social networking has topped 250 million users worldwide. Nearly half of those users log on to the Web site every day.
And to think that Facebook barely existed five years ago.
And to think that Facebook still hasn’t figured out how to make much money yet.
June 2009
President Obama pledged to release pictures of torture and abuse of prisoners in overseas military prisons. He then reversed that decision and angered many supporters in the process.
The administration’s reputation will take a hit. Those in power obviously made a calculated choice that the confidence President Obama has generated since his inauguration can withstand the downside of not keeping such an emotionally charged promise.
Philip Gourevitch, who is co-authoring a book about Abu Ghraib, has an interesting perspective on the president’s decision, which he supports. He claims to have viewed many of the photos not yet published. And he says he has no plans for publishing any of them in his book. His explanation:
“Crime-scene photographs, for all their power to reveal, can also serve as a distraction, even a deterrent, from precise understanding of the events they depict. Photographs cannot show us a chain of command, or Washington decision making. Photographs cannot tell stories. They can only provide evidence of stories, and evidence is mute; it demands investigation and interpretation.”
If we know anything about Washington, D.C., the photos will eventually come to light. They always do. Let’s hope they also have the perspective that Gourevitch advocates.
Gourevitch’s entire op-ed from the New York Times.
April 2009
The fate of daily newspapers is a hot topic these days. The venerable Seattle Post Intelligencer recently changed to an online format and eliminated many jobs after 145 years in business. Denver recently lost the Rocky Mountain News, leaving it with one daily newspaper.
The demise of newspapers doesn’t mean we won’t have news. We will still have plenty.
What many communities will lose is perspective.
In general, newspapers have far more institutional and community knowledge than other media. Their reporting ranks are often more senior and don’t turn over as fast as broadcast media. Editors who have worked their way up from cub reporter understand the importance of reputable sources and researching all angles.
Most importantly, newspapers provide depth. A television station or blog may break a story these days, but newspapers provide the depth of reporting and content. Let’s hope someone else decides to assume that mantle.
February 2009
In the endless prelude to Super Bowl XLIII, NBC’s Matt Lauer interviewed President Barack Obama live from the White House. The interview was clearly expected in its content – no breaking news or new information.
A welcome surprise was the president in a button-down shirt without a tie or a jacket in a national network interview. It was a rare combination of unexpected and completely on point.
Being cool has always been part of Obama’s appeal. He gave the impression that after the interview he was going to sit down and enjoy watching the Super Bowl like millions of Americans.
Give him and his handlers credit for matching the image with the moment – or maybe just being his cool self.
December 2008
Wall Street has had a bad year on every front. And nearly everyone has suffered.
Right or wrong, the federal government stepped in to shore up the industry and save thousands of jobs.
It’s time for Wall Street to show their thanks to American taxpayers by not paying year-end bonuses. It’s the right thing to do now to show that they are committed to fixing the problems they helped cause.
Wall Street executives cry that they will lose talent. And how is that a bad thing? Are these not the same people who caused the problem in the first place? With more than 100,000 job losses, it’s also a buyer’s market in Manhattan.
The American people have a crisis of confidence in our financial system. The only way to restore that confidence is with leadership and sacrifice.
