{"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":"Defenestration","slug":"defenestration","published_at":"2026-07-16T13:00:02+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/communication-breakdown-7019931/defenestration","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/communication-breakdown-7019931","url":"https://www.spreaker.com/episode/defenestration--73008686","audio_url":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73008686/ep_92_defenestration.mp3","summary":"In this episode of Communication Breakdown, Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll examine how Ryanair reduced a terrifying in-flight emergency to the language of a routine scheduling disruption. They compare the airline’s statement with the more human responses from Boeing and CFM International, exploring the difference between legal accuracy and narrative adequacy, and what executive presence signals during a crisis. Then, they turn to Meta’s short-lived Muse Image feature, which allowed users to generate AI content from public Instagram photos without affirmative consent or notification. The discussion reveals how passive language, product design, default permissions, and organized stakeholder power can expose the governing logic behind a company’s communications. Takeaways A statement can remain technically accurate while presenting an account that is materially smaller than the event people experienced. Crisis communicators must balance speed and factual certainty without using caution as a reason to minimize human consequences. Words such as “dislodged,” “landed normally,” and “requested medical assistance” can weaken credibility when they understate the severity of an incident. Topics Mentioned Crisis communication, narrative adequacy, factual compression, narrative distortion, corporate responsibility, passenger safety, executive visibility, leadership communication, stakeholder trust, legal accuracy, passive language, institutional legitimacy, operating permission, artificial intelligence, image rights, affirmative consent, opt-in systems, privacy settings, product governance, claims perception and reality, user control, stakeholder power, organized advocacy, reputation management, Friday news releases Companies Mentioned Ryanair, Boeing, CFM International, GE, Meta,…","meta_description":"In this episode of Communication Breakdown, Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll examine how Ryanair reduced a terrifying in-flight emergency to the language o…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1992,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/communication-breakdown-7019931/episodes/defenestration/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/defenestration.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}