Articles on PR for People

Are You Prepared?

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, which has grown into  a collaborative effort between government and industry to enhance cybersecurity awareness, encourage actions by the public to reduce online risk and generated discussion on cyber threats on a national and global scale  The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) advises that there are four basic steps both individuals and businesses can take to better manage their online actions:


Making Our Peace with 9/11

Twenty-two years later, the sounds and images of that day reverberate. The 19-acre complex of buildings called the World Trade Center, considered to be the heart of the financial sector, was forever changed. 


Count Me In

In spite of military standoffs, a deep sea disaster, pesky security breaches, and other operational risk failures, this month we celebrate ASA's 14th anniversary as we publish the 153rd issue of ASA News & Notes.


Justice Without Fear or Favor

In the 1960s, a relatively new technology was able to record and broadcast as news the behavior of citizens and law enforcement in Southern states, in particular Alabama and Mississippi. The rhetoric matched the behavior, as protesters or voting rights advocates were beaten while the police stood by. One cannot repeat the names called, but can remember still the violent speech used by segregationists as they fought against the change that was coming.


The Freedom to Read

“If you read, you can learn to think for yourself.” Those words came from esteemed novelist Doris Lessing some years ago, when speaking of the value of public libraries and their role in creating an informed citizenry. 


Risk and Ethics

I examined the factors that should go into making responsible decisions around risky ventures in our current environment in my column last month and concluded: “The general shape of risk has not changed that much in the past 15 years, but every time is new. There is no shortcut or quick fix to making consequential decisions at the right time. The elements that go into risk management are unchanging: careful, patient, and meticulous thinking.”


The Shape of Risk

The sad saga of the downfall of Silicon Valley Bank. Too big to fail? How many times must the banks sing the same old swan song?


Digging Out

It is hard to know where to begin, after such a seemingly endless stream of weather-related disasters and, most recently, the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Only yesterday did the earthquake recovery efforts there begin to move to the next stage of restoration.  


Looking Ahead

We can expect two full years of such obstruction and chaos, at a time when the Supreme Court appears bent on undoing years of settled opinion around issues we consider to be at the heart of our democracy.


Turn Back to the Light

The winter solstice occurs the day after we turn in grades, and signals both the beginning of winter and the earth’s turn back toward the light. That’s part of the larger world that includes the university. Just as we’ve started to see real activity in our communities, health authorities have recommended wearing masks indoors, given the high number of cases of flu, COVID, and RSV that are overwhelming our hospitals. As we see in so many parts of the public arena, we are not out of the woods yet.