Bettison High-Stakes Public Relations

08/26/2026

AFT Target Boycott: Out of Touch in Urging “Shop Locally” at Costco and

American Federation of Teachers has called for a boycott of Target. It is urging its nearly 1.9 million members and families to get school supplies somewhere else and “shop locally”.

It created a special website that includes a map function, so users can put in their location and find “local” alternatives to Target. In Minneapolis, the “shop local“ alternatives are Costco and Macy’s.

Costco is headquartered and incorporated in Washington. Macy’s is incorporated in Delaware with headquarters in New York City. Hardly the “shop local” options the AFT says they are. And not helpful to local businesses that actually serve as an alternative to Target. And further not helpful to families on a tight budget, like many families are more and more.

Advice to AFT: change your website; better yet change your message.

08/24/2026

Court file: 27-CR-26-14261

Alexander Fenne is accused of two counts of felony animal torture involving a cat. Trial is set for December 7, 2026, but the state has offered a plea deal that would have him. Plead guilty to one of the two torture counts, 12 months in jail, which would be stayed for three years while he complete probation, and the state agreed not to bring any more animal cruelty charges. The state made the offer even though it is still examining evidence on electronic devices.




Crime Watch MN

08/04/2026

St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her’s statement responding to allegations of sexual harassment in the workplace lacked one key ingredient: accountability.

07/17/2026

07/13/2026

There are any number of reasons why public figures accused of sexual assault categorically deny the allegations. With a public figure like Graham Platner, former candidate for US Senate, a statement saying the allegations were “categorically false” was to be expected. He has both legal and reputational interests at stake.

Sexual assault allegations are complicated and they risk both criminal and civil liability.

It takes a lot of courage for victims to come forward. While many sexual assault cases suffer from a dearth of evidence, often the only evidence being the alleged victims, testimony or statements, it is not unusual for that to be enough to impose criminal and civil liability.






06/23/2026

This conference starts tomorrow, and I will be speaking with Paul Omodt on Thursday. We will be covering civility in discourse: a historical perspective, the current state of our civil discourse, and how PR professionals can lead the way towards more respectful, thoughtful and intentional communications.

What happens when public discourse becomes more combative and civility starts to disappear?

At the 2026 PRSA Midwest District Conference, June 24-26, Stacy Bettison and Paul Omodt will explore how social media and algorithms have reshaped the way we communicate, creating new challenges for brands, leaders and the professionals advising them.

From navigating online hostility to addressing real-world safety concerns, this session looks at how communicators can help shift the tone – modeling more thoughtful, respectful dialogue while still moving conversations forward.

This is the kind of conversation that reinforces the role PR can play, not just in managing messages, but in shaping a more informed and civil public landscape.

👉 Learn more and register: https://prsamdc.org/2026-district-conference

The 2026 PRSA Midwest District Conference is proudly hosted by Minnesota PRSA!

06/23/2026

Not sure how this is legal. Someone’s gonna sue (class action anyone?). Then they’ll pass a law limiting products like this. You watch.

Mark Hyman, MD

06/01/2026

Now that both Minnesota's state DFL and GOP conventions are over, we are full steam ahead into the political campaign season. Let the mudslinging begin.

But must there be mud? Can we get through this season with less vitriol, less name-calling, less swear words, and more civility?

Call me crazy, but my hope is yes.

I get it. And so do you. Algorithms demand a lot these days. Being polite and civil gets way less clicks, way less engagement -- ultimately, less visibility. And candidates need visibility

Contentious, hateful campaigns, however, are nothing new (and well before social media).

The election of 1800 for president of the United States was one of the dirtiest campaigns in our nation's short history.

John Adams and Thomas Jefferson went for throats: Jefferson's campaign calling Adams a "hideous hermaphroditcal character;" that Adams was a "repulsive pedant," and a "gross hypocrite." For Adam's campaign, voters were warned that a Jefferson presidency would result in burning of Bibles and a total collapse of morality. One surrogate suggested that if Jefferson were to become president, "we would see our wives and daughters the victims of legal prostitution."

So, what can we do, the observers, the audience, the captive audience of this political season?

We can do our part. We can engage with the less inflammatory of those candidates, the ones who are working hard to stay positive, not trash on their opponent, and who draw distinctions on policy over person.

My dad once said to me that I was a person of "hope." That he could see that my heart was full of "hope" all the time, for so many things. Dad was right. I do have a tremendous amount of hope.

So, I'm putting my hope out there now. A call for civility. A call for debate on merits, debate on substance. Let's click, like, and heart on deep talk about hard issues.

We, the electorate, deserve that.

05/31/2026

Data centers are here, and more are coming. Here's how OpenAI, for its part, is trying to solve the PR problem of data centers. Will it work?

Data centers are popping up everywhere. OpenAI in particular is feeling the resistance from communities for its Stargate centers. What is OpenAI doing about it? It has devised a new PR solution.

05/30/2026

Minneapolis Police Department Chief Brian O’Hara has resigned. His attorney issued a statement. Three key elements for crisis communications can be found in the statement:

First, the statement establishes and frames the context: the statement reminds the public that O'Hara inherited a “depleted” police department” that was facing a “crisis of public trust,” which really anchors his role as chief to a historic low point – this is the mess he came into.

Second, the statement establishes achievements: it points to violent crime decreasing in several major categories during O’Hara’s tenure.

Third, and most importantly, the statement focuses on O’Hara’s humanity and his gratitude: the statement did not take on the alleged misconduct specifically (no need to, it’s already been reported widely what he was accused of doing, and if he isn’t denying that allegation, no need to address it).

Instead, the statement reminds that the circumstances should not “define his service” to Minneapolis, that O’Hara grateful to his fellow officers and the community who are engaged daily in very hard work, and then it shifts to O’Hara returning to his “young family” in NJ – reminding us that O’Hara is a dad, and has been living away from his family. This introduces an emotionally relatable situation. It replaces a less-than-ideal exit with a positive homecoming to his family.

The full statement is available below. Take a look and tell me what you think.

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O’Hara Statement

“After a nationwide search, Chief Brian O’Hara was brought to Minneapolis to help lead the city through one of the most difficult chapters in its history. He arrived just two-and-a-half years after George Floyd’s murder, at a time when Minneapolis was still confronting the aftermath of unrest, a crisis of public trust in policing, rising violent crime, and a depleted police department. MPD was the most scrutinized police department in the country.

“One of the Chief’s top priorities was reducing violent crime in Minneapolis. During his tenure, crime has decreased dramatically. In 2019, the City had 890 officers. When the Chief was hired in 2022, it was roughly 560 officers. It is now 643 officers and growing in quantity, quality, and diversity. The Chief also made significant progress in rebuilding community trust and pride within the ranks of MPD.

“During the recent ‘Metro Surge’ by federal immigration agents, Minneapolis was constantly on the precipice of igniting the spark that would set the city on fire again. The Chief carefully navigated the surge, allowing freedom of expression while mitigating violent clashes with the federal government.

“The circumstances of Chief O’Hara’s departure should not define his service. He was proud to serve Minneapolis, remains grateful to the officers and community partners who did difficult work under extraordinary pressure, and hopes the city continues moving forward. He understandably looks forward to returning to his young family in New Jersey.“

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