{"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://ocrnetwork.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":86,"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":"2026-06-05T04:21:27.467075+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/communication-breakdown-7019931"},"episode":{"title":"bp’s Big Problem","slug":"bp-s-big-problem","published_at":"2026-06-04T14:44:46+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/communication-breakdown-7019931/bp-s-big-problem","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/communication-breakdown-7019931","url":"https://www.spreaker.com/episode/bp-s-big-problem--72337304","audio_url":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/72337304/ep_86_bp_s_big_problem.mp3","summary":"In this episode of Communication Breakdown, hosts Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll return to BP’s boardroom battle with former chairman Albert Manifold. After being dismissed over governance, oversight, and conduct concerns, Manifold fires back with a nearly 800-word statement accusing BP of mischaracterizing his behavior and framing himself as a disciplined reformer focused on shareholder value. Steve and Craig examine how Manifold is trying mto prevent BP’s version of events from becoming the only version, while BP’s restrained response risks leaving a narrative vacuum. The conversation also brings in Craig’s justice framework, including distributive, procedural, interpersonal, and informational justice, to unpack why this dispute is no longer just about conduct. It is now about credibility, process, power, and who gets to define the story Takeaways Manifold’s statement shifts the communication problem from an executive departure to a battle over competing narratives The strongest and riskiest claim in Manifold’s statement is that no one raised conduct concerns with him during his tenure For BP, the danger is that unanswered claims could harden into conventional wisdom before the company speaks again. Topics Mentioned BP, Albert Manifold, executive departures, corporate governance, board communication, reputation defense, counter-narrative, shareholder activism, cost discipline, crisis communication, image rehabilitation, conduct allegations, narrative vacuum, board legitimacy, procedural justice, distributive justice, interpersonal justice, informational justice, stakeholder trust, media strategy, leadership communication Companies Mentioned BP, Bloomberg, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal Episode Hashtags #BP #Bloomberg #FinancialTimes #WallStreetJournal #Corpora…","meta_description":"In this episode of Communication Breakdown, hosts Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll return to BP’s boardroom battle with former chairman Albert Manifold. Af…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1363,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/communication-breakdown-7019931/episodes/bp-s-big-problem/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/bp-s-big-problem.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}