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What comms can learn from the internal upheaval at the New York Times

by M&Co. Staff

Tensions between workers and their bosses are as old as the idea of a workplace itself. It’s nothing new on the whole. But when it’s taking place in one of the most famous newspapers in the world, it tends to put the audience at attention. The paper with “All the News That’s Fit to Print” is in the middle of a bout of internal strife over how much the personal and professional lives of the Times’ journalists should mesh together, raising questions about how a standard bearer of news deals with its reputation internally and externally.

But when you take a step back, this story applies to any organization. An internal culture war might seem like it’s solvable within the walls of your company, but unless you’ve got the right processes in place, you risk damage to your reputation to both customers and potential future employees.

It’s up to you to communicate your organization’s purpose to inform its identity in the market.

Montieth Illingworth, CEO of Montieth and Company, stresses that leaning on your values must be a starting point for comms.

“Every organization must define, communicate internally and externally, and live by their values,” Illingworth said. “The time will always come when one or more of those values are tested. The organization may even be seen as failing to live up to them.”

The full article can be found at Ragan Communications.

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