It appears that a Malaysian passenger jet may have been mistakenly shot down in the skies above territory that is in dispute between Ukraine and Russia. USA Today is reporting that rebels who may be backed by Russia may have arms capable of downing a passenger jet that is flying 20,000+ feet in the sky.
Photos of the tragedy have appeared online and it leads me to believe that the crash site may become contaminated. In this hyper-sensitive and viral world everything posted online about this tragedy is put under a microscope. For example, American Pie actor Jason Biggs Tweet “Anyone wanna buy my Malaysian Airlines frequent flier miles?” was deemed so offensive by the Internet community that he ended up issuing an apology after it went viral.
Entertainers and politicians do not have a monopoly on regretting their online posts. According to AFP, it appears that some Pro-Russian insurgents may also have itchy social media fingers because some of their online postings boasting about downing an airplane around the same time/place that the Malaysian jet went down have now been deleted. Since the crash site may become contaminated will social media become crucial evidence in determining who shot down the Malaysian passenger jet?
Copyright 2014 by Shear Law, LLC. All rights reserved.
Showing posts with label Social Media and Politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Social Media and Politics. Show all posts
Friday, July 18, 2014
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Will Anthony Weiner's "Weiner" Tweets Derail His Candidacy For Mayor of New York City?
New York City is the greatest city in the world. I lived in the City (NYC'ers call it the City) before and after 9/11. It is the city that is full of come back stories. As Frank Sinatra sang in New York New York, "if I can make it there I can make it anywhere". Almost two years ago, former Congressman Anthony Weiner resigned from Congress because of inappropriate Tweets he sent that contained photos of his private parts. However, he has recently announced his candidacy for Mayor of New York City.
In 2011, Weiner first claimed that his Twitter account was hacked after he was asked about some troubling Tweets being sent from his account. However, when he declined to ask that the proper authorities investigate the matter I knew he was not being completely honest about the situation. When I appeared on MSNBC to discuss the crisis I didn't want to accuse a member of Congress of lying so I only alluded to the troubling nature of the alleged claims by Weiner.
Until Weiner's social media usage became news, his political star was extremely bright. Since leaving Congress, he has worked to rehabilitate his personal life and career. While he may have learned some hard (no pun intended) lessons about social media, it appears that his staff needs some education on how to properly post video online to ensure it doesn't become a news story.
In general, politicians seem to be able to rebound from sex scandals and handsome profitably. Time will tell if Weiner is added to the list. Regardless of the outcome of the election, it will be interesting to see how Weiner handles all of the questions related to his past social media endeavors.
To learn more about these issues you may contact me at www.shearlaw.com.
Copyright 2013 by the Law Office of Bradley S. Shear, LLC. All rights reserved.
In 2011, Weiner first claimed that his Twitter account was hacked after he was asked about some troubling Tweets being sent from his account. However, when he declined to ask that the proper authorities investigate the matter I knew he was not being completely honest about the situation. When I appeared on MSNBC to discuss the crisis I didn't want to accuse a member of Congress of lying so I only alluded to the troubling nature of the alleged claims by Weiner.
Until Weiner's social media usage became news, his political star was extremely bright. Since leaving Congress, he has worked to rehabilitate his personal life and career. While he may have learned some hard (no pun intended) lessons about social media, it appears that his staff needs some education on how to properly post video online to ensure it doesn't become a news story.
In general, politicians seem to be able to rebound from sex scandals and handsome profitably. Time will tell if Weiner is added to the list. Regardless of the outcome of the election, it will be interesting to see how Weiner handles all of the questions related to his past social media endeavors.
To learn more about these issues you may contact me at www.shearlaw.com.
Copyright 2013 by the Law Office of Bradley S. Shear, LLC. All rights reserved.
Monday, June 13, 2011
How To Respond To A Poltical Social Media Crisis or Scandal
Politicians along with others who are in the public eye such as athletes, entertainers, etc... need to know how to properly respond to a social media crisis or scandal. During the past two weeks, Congressman Anthony Weiner has been embroiled in a self-inflicted social media scandal. For the past several years, Mr. Weiner has been utilizing social media to allegedly interact inappropriately with others online. Not only is Mr. Weiner an elected U.S. Congressman, but he is also married and his wife is pregnant.
Politicians in the United States have been entangled in sex scandals since our country's birth and Mr. Weiner will not be the last elected official to become involved in this type of crisis. However, what sets this scandal apart from previous political sex scandals is that Mr. Weiner has left little to the imagination. Previously, the public could only imagine what had occurred. During President Clinton's sex scandal the main piece of evidence of an affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky was her stained blue dress. Through DNA testing it was proven that President Clinton was the source of the stain on the blue dress. Even with this evidence there were still a lot of unanswered questions.
If a politician becomes tangled in a Social Media Crisis or Scandal these are some of the steps that should be taken in no particular order:
1. Engage a lawyer. The most important member of a crisis management team is one's legal counsel. A lawyer will be able to advise if there is any civil or criminal liability. It appears that Mr. Weiner waited four days before hiring an attorney to advise him. This is a lifetime in the Social Media Age.
2. Be open and honest with your attorney. A lawyer(s) may be the only person whom a politician may fully trust due to the sanctity of the attorney-client privilege. In addition, an attorney must know all the facts in order to determine the best course of action. I don't know if Mr. Weiner was honest with his lawyer because it allegedly took a week between the time that he hired a lawyer and he publicly admitted to acting what has been deemed inappropriate towards others online.
3. Assess the political, professional, and personal issues that are involved. Every crisis has different facts and no two situations are exactly alike. Since Mr. Weiner's scandal first became public, it seems as though he has been "winging" his responses. At first, Mr. Weiner stated that his Twitter account was hacked and that it was a prank; then he acted indignant towards the media; then he tried to be calm and offered interviews around the clock; then he admitted he sent a photograph of himself in his underwear to a young woman after Andrew Breitbart publicly stated he had more evidence about the matter; then he stated he wasn't resigning from Congress; then a self-taken photograph of Mr. Weiner's gentials appeared online; then the police investigated Mr. Weiner's online interactions with a 17-year old; then several members of the Democratic leadership called for his resignation; then Mr. Weiner stated that he will be asking for a leave of Congress to seek treatment; and now more images of Mr. Weiner are appearing online.
4. Assemble your crisis management team. After an attorney has determined what type of legal liability issues are involved the response team may be assembled.
5. Create and implement a crisis management response. The response and its implementation will depend upon the situation. As of this writing, it appears that Mr. Weiner may not have any legal liability for his online behavior. However, as more evidence comes to light that may change and it is too soon to determine what if any U.S. House Ethics Rules have been broken.
6. Figure out how to address your political staff. Some staff members may need to know the truth due to the nature of their position while others do not. Remember the quote from Animal Farm, "[s]ome animals are more equal than others."
7. Do not lie to the American public. The American public is very forgiving. President Clinton's initial reaction regarding the publicity surrounding his relationship with Monica Lewinsky was to cover it up. Mr. Clinton most likely had no idea that Ms. Lewinsky had undeniable proof of a relationship between them. Even though the scandal did not cost Mr. Clinton his office, it created great embarrassment for himself and his family and it damaged his legacy. In addition, he lost his law license because of the matter.
8. Batten down the hatches. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Be prepared for any possible scenario.
9. Reassess the situation continuously. Your position may become untenable as more facts emerge.
10. Determine whether you will fight to keep your seat or if you will resign. Becoming a U.S. Senator or Congressman is not a right but a privilege. Many members of Congress are type A personalities since there are only 535 of these positions and every seat is highly coveted. Therefore, resigning may only occur when there are no other viable options.
The bottom line is that it is important to be proactive and not reactive. If Mr. Weiner would have handled his social media scandal differently it may have already blown over. However, his continuing missteps have only made the situation worse.
To learn how to respond to a political crisis or scandal in the Social Media Age you may contact me at www.shearlaw.com.
Copyright 2011 by the Law Office of Bradley S. Shear, LLC. All rights reserved.
Politicians in the United States have been entangled in sex scandals since our country's birth and Mr. Weiner will not be the last elected official to become involved in this type of crisis. However, what sets this scandal apart from previous political sex scandals is that Mr. Weiner has left little to the imagination. Previously, the public could only imagine what had occurred. During President Clinton's sex scandal the main piece of evidence of an affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky was her stained blue dress. Through DNA testing it was proven that President Clinton was the source of the stain on the blue dress. Even with this evidence there were still a lot of unanswered questions.
If a politician becomes tangled in a Social Media Crisis or Scandal these are some of the steps that should be taken in no particular order:
1. Engage a lawyer. The most important member of a crisis management team is one's legal counsel. A lawyer will be able to advise if there is any civil or criminal liability. It appears that Mr. Weiner waited four days before hiring an attorney to advise him. This is a lifetime in the Social Media Age.
2. Be open and honest with your attorney. A lawyer(s) may be the only person whom a politician may fully trust due to the sanctity of the attorney-client privilege. In addition, an attorney must know all the facts in order to determine the best course of action. I don't know if Mr. Weiner was honest with his lawyer because it allegedly took a week between the time that he hired a lawyer and he publicly admitted to acting what has been deemed inappropriate towards others online.
3. Assess the political, professional, and personal issues that are involved. Every crisis has different facts and no two situations are exactly alike. Since Mr. Weiner's scandal first became public, it seems as though he has been "winging" his responses. At first, Mr. Weiner stated that his Twitter account was hacked and that it was a prank; then he acted indignant towards the media; then he tried to be calm and offered interviews around the clock; then he admitted he sent a photograph of himself in his underwear to a young woman after Andrew Breitbart publicly stated he had more evidence about the matter; then he stated he wasn't resigning from Congress; then a self-taken photograph of Mr. Weiner's gentials appeared online; then the police investigated Mr. Weiner's online interactions with a 17-year old; then several members of the Democratic leadership called for his resignation; then Mr. Weiner stated that he will be asking for a leave of Congress to seek treatment; and now more images of Mr. Weiner are appearing online.
4. Assemble your crisis management team. After an attorney has determined what type of legal liability issues are involved the response team may be assembled.
5. Create and implement a crisis management response. The response and its implementation will depend upon the situation. As of this writing, it appears that Mr. Weiner may not have any legal liability for his online behavior. However, as more evidence comes to light that may change and it is too soon to determine what if any U.S. House Ethics Rules have been broken.
6. Figure out how to address your political staff. Some staff members may need to know the truth due to the nature of their position while others do not. Remember the quote from Animal Farm, "[s]ome animals are more equal than others."
7. Do not lie to the American public. The American public is very forgiving. President Clinton's initial reaction regarding the publicity surrounding his relationship with Monica Lewinsky was to cover it up. Mr. Clinton most likely had no idea that Ms. Lewinsky had undeniable proof of a relationship between them. Even though the scandal did not cost Mr. Clinton his office, it created great embarrassment for himself and his family and it damaged his legacy. In addition, he lost his law license because of the matter.
8. Batten down the hatches. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Be prepared for any possible scenario.
9. Reassess the situation continuously. Your position may become untenable as more facts emerge.
10. Determine whether you will fight to keep your seat or if you will resign. Becoming a U.S. Senator or Congressman is not a right but a privilege. Many members of Congress are type A personalities since there are only 535 of these positions and every seat is highly coveted. Therefore, resigning may only occur when there are no other viable options.
The bottom line is that it is important to be proactive and not reactive. If Mr. Weiner would have handled his social media scandal differently it may have already blown over. However, his continuing missteps have only made the situation worse.
To learn how to respond to a political crisis or scandal in the Social Media Age you may contact me at www.shearlaw.com.
Copyright 2011 by the Law Office of Bradley S. Shear, LLC. All rights reserved.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Social Media Crisis Management, Weinergate, Politics, Football, and the Law
Does your company or client have a social media crisis management plan? Social media crisis management is not the same as traditional media crisis management. Social media is a different animal than traditional media and those who advise clients in the social media space must understand the legal, political, public relations, and economic effects, etc... of a social media crisis.
In a social media crisis management plan, a lawyer may play a central role within the social media crisis management team. The type of role that a lawyer plays in a social media crisis depends on the matter. Legal issues appear to be front and center in many of these situations so a lawyer may act in a capacity similar to a quarterback and/or a middle linebacker on a football team. Sometimes a lawyer must go on the offensive and act like Johnny Unitas to further his client's interests. At other times, a lawyer must act like Ray Lewis to defend his client's interests. A lawyer must have a multi-dimensional background and the social media skills, knowledge, and personality to handle the situation.
Last week, Congressman Anthony Weiner of New York was embroiled in a scandal due to his alleged social media usage. A photograph of a man in his briefs was sent from Congressman Weiner's Twitter account to a college student. Mr. Weiner initially acted like this matter was a prank and no big deal. Hacking into an email or social media account is not as uncommon as some may think and there are serious security loopholes in many online systems. For example, Sarah Palin's email account was hacked during the 2008 presidential campaign and the perpetrator was sentenced to a year and a day in prison for unauthorized access to a protected computer.
The alleged hacking of Mr. Weiner's Twitter account has been called "Weinergate" by some media outlets. The story would have died a natural death within a couple of days it first becoming public; however, Mr. Weiner could not say with "certitude" that the alleged inappropriate image that was sent from his Twitter account was not of him. In addition, Mr. Weiner did not ask for an official investigation into the matter by the proper authorities. It is very troubling that Mr. Weiner has not requested an official investigation into this matter.
Due to Mr. Weiner's initial handling of the matter, the story has mushroomed and has stayed in the news cycle for more than a week. I commented about this matter on MSNBC on June 1, 2011 during the noon hour. During my appearance on MSNBC, I stated that wire fraud and/or computer fraud may have occurred if Mr. Weiner's Twitter account or other electronic systems were hacked. In addition, I stated that Mr. Weiner should request an official investigation into the matter by the proper authorities.
At first glance, it sounds ridiculous to spend precious resources to investigate whether a congressman sent an inappropriate image from his Twitter account. Our country has better things to do with its time and money than to investigate whether a congressman is sending allegedly lewd images of himself to others online. However, during the past few weeks there have been some high profile cyber attacks against some of our country's largest companies and if Mr. Weiner's Twitter account and/or other electronic accounts were hacked it needs to be investigated to determine if there are any security vulnerabilities with Mr. Weiner's electronic congressional accounts.
Hacking may be considered a game or a prank by some people. In some instances, hackers are able to find and notify the public about legitimate computer security concerns. However, hacking should not be thought of as an innocent prank because some countries now have cyber warfare units and it is alleged that the U.S. may attack another country conventionally if it is attacked online.
As I am writing this post, it appears that this may not be the first time that inappropriate photos have been sent from an electronic account purportedly belonging to Mr. Weiner. Since it appears that Weinergate may have gotten some new steam it is imperative that Mr. Weiner get his social media crisis management team together immediately. Mr. Weiner may want to avoid Tiger Woods' and Brett Favre's social media crisis management mistakes. It is too late to follow David Letterman's playbook and immediately do a mea culpa; however, if the new allegations against Mr. Weiner are true he should come clean before this scandal destroys his political career and personal life.
To learn more about the legal issues that are intertwined with social media crisis management and how to handle a social media crisis you may contact me at www.shearlaw.com.
Copyright 2011 by the Law Office of Bradley S. Shear, LLC. All rights reserved.
In a social media crisis management plan, a lawyer may play a central role within the social media crisis management team. The type of role that a lawyer plays in a social media crisis depends on the matter. Legal issues appear to be front and center in many of these situations so a lawyer may act in a capacity similar to a quarterback and/or a middle linebacker on a football team. Sometimes a lawyer must go on the offensive and act like Johnny Unitas to further his client's interests. At other times, a lawyer must act like Ray Lewis to defend his client's interests. A lawyer must have a multi-dimensional background and the social media skills, knowledge, and personality to handle the situation.
Last week, Congressman Anthony Weiner of New York was embroiled in a scandal due to his alleged social media usage. A photograph of a man in his briefs was sent from Congressman Weiner's Twitter account to a college student. Mr. Weiner initially acted like this matter was a prank and no big deal. Hacking into an email or social media account is not as uncommon as some may think and there are serious security loopholes in many online systems. For example, Sarah Palin's email account was hacked during the 2008 presidential campaign and the perpetrator was sentenced to a year and a day in prison for unauthorized access to a protected computer.
The alleged hacking of Mr. Weiner's Twitter account has been called "Weinergate" by some media outlets. The story would have died a natural death within a couple of days it first becoming public; however, Mr. Weiner could not say with "certitude" that the alleged inappropriate image that was sent from his Twitter account was not of him. In addition, Mr. Weiner did not ask for an official investigation into the matter by the proper authorities. It is very troubling that Mr. Weiner has not requested an official investigation into this matter.
Due to Mr. Weiner's initial handling of the matter, the story has mushroomed and has stayed in the news cycle for more than a week. I commented about this matter on MSNBC on June 1, 2011 during the noon hour. During my appearance on MSNBC, I stated that wire fraud and/or computer fraud may have occurred if Mr. Weiner's Twitter account or other electronic systems were hacked. In addition, I stated that Mr. Weiner should request an official investigation into the matter by the proper authorities.
At first glance, it sounds ridiculous to spend precious resources to investigate whether a congressman sent an inappropriate image from his Twitter account. Our country has better things to do with its time and money than to investigate whether a congressman is sending allegedly lewd images of himself to others online. However, during the past few weeks there have been some high profile cyber attacks against some of our country's largest companies and if Mr. Weiner's Twitter account and/or other electronic accounts were hacked it needs to be investigated to determine if there are any security vulnerabilities with Mr. Weiner's electronic congressional accounts.
Hacking may be considered a game or a prank by some people. In some instances, hackers are able to find and notify the public about legitimate computer security concerns. However, hacking should not be thought of as an innocent prank because some countries now have cyber warfare units and it is alleged that the U.S. may attack another country conventionally if it is attacked online.
As I am writing this post, it appears that this may not be the first time that inappropriate photos have been sent from an electronic account purportedly belonging to Mr. Weiner. Since it appears that Weinergate may have gotten some new steam it is imperative that Mr. Weiner get his social media crisis management team together immediately. Mr. Weiner may want to avoid Tiger Woods' and Brett Favre's social media crisis management mistakes. It is too late to follow David Letterman's playbook and immediately do a mea culpa; however, if the new allegations against Mr. Weiner are true he should come clean before this scandal destroys his political career and personal life.
To learn more about the legal issues that are intertwined with social media crisis management and how to handle a social media crisis you may contact me at www.shearlaw.com.
Copyright 2011 by the Law Office of Bradley S. Shear, LLC. All rights reserved.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)