{"podcast":{"title":"Communication Breakdown","slug":"communication-breakdown-7019931","podcast_index_feed_id":7019931,"rss_url":"https://www.spreaker.com/show/6301456/episodes/feed","website_url":"https://corporateobservatory.com/podcasts/communication-breakdown","image_url":"https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/bb1654c4c2ff3f77a3c1f292f51b3d52.jpg","author":"Observatory on Corporate Reputation LLC","episode_count":100,"summary":"Communication Breakdown is a postgame show for PR pros. In each episode, hosts Craig Carroll (Founder of the Observatory on Corporate Reputation, Editor of the SAGE Encyclopedia of Corporate Reputation, Lecturer at Rice University’s Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business) and Steve Dowling (former head of communications at OpenAI and Apple) discuss the strategies and tactics companies are using in high-visibility crises and PR initiatives, giving listeners unique insight into how key decisions are made. The podcast offers two unique perspectives on communications theory and practice, drawing on Craig’s research and teaching on reputation at USC Annenberg, UNC Chapel Hill, and universities worldwide, and Steve’s two decades of experience as a comms leader at some of the world’s most influential companies. Whether you’re a PR professional, marketing executive, or just curious about how companies make key communications decisions, you’ll find these discussions insightful and valuable.","last_synced_at":"2026-09-11T02:22:07.181025+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/communication-breakdown-7019931"},"episode":{"title":"…and the home of the brave","slug":"and-the-home-of-the-brave","published_at":"2026-07-02T14:20:14+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/communication-breakdown-7019931/and-the-home-of-the-brave","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/communication-breakdown-7019931","url":"https://www.spreaker.com/episode/and-the-home-of-the-brave--72783967","audio_url":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/72783967/ep_90_and_the_home_of_the_brave.mp3","summary":"In this episode of Communication Breakdown, Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll examine why America’s 250th birthday feels smaller, flatter, and more complicated than a milestone this large should feel. They look at how companies are approaching the anniversary through nostalgia, patriotic packaging, official sponsorships, and, in a few stronger cases, civic contribution. The conversation explores why patriotic language now carries reputational risk, how the split between America 250 and Freedom 250 has muddled the national moment, and why companies need more than flags and slogans to show up credibly. For PR, communications, and corporate reputation leaders, this episode is a sharp case study in authenticity, civic usefulness, and the limits of safe messaging. Takeaways America 250 should be a major national milestone, but polarization, distraction, and weak organizing have kept it from becoming a shared civic moment. Companies are cautious because words like freedom, patriotism, founders, and American values no longer land in one shared place. The split between America 250 and Freedom 250 has created a signaling problem for sponsors trying to avoid partisan alignment. Topics Mentioned America 250, Fourth of July, corporate patriotism, civic patriotism, symbolic patriotism, access patriotism, nationalism, hospitality, political polarization, shared meaning, corporate reputation, patriotic branding, nostalgia, strategic ambiguity, civic contribution, stakeholder trust, government sponsorship, Freedom 250, America 250 Commission, DEI backlash, ESG backlash, corporate values, authenticity, local service, veterans housing, emergency water, childhood hunger, public trust, civic institutions, hope, American identity, historical progress, rights rollbacks, corporate communicatio…","meta_description":"In this episode of Communication Breakdown, Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll examine why America’s 250th birthday feels smaller, flatter, and more complica…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2351,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/communication-breakdown-7019931/episodes/and-the-home-of-the-brave/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/communication-breakdown-7019931/and-the-home-of-the-brave.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}