The School for Scandal
What began as a murmur on the scale of corporate scandals is evolving into a roar. Hard on the heels of the news that Hewlett-Packard Chairwoman Patricia Dunn knew about the
decision to monitor communications between board members and journalists came another complication: CEO Mark Hurd was also close enough to the fire to get burned. The executives'
written testimony to Congress (slated to play out in a September 28th hearing) revealed different communications strategies. Hurd exonerated himself, apologizing for HP's
leanings towards espionage. In contrast, Dunn chastised Congress for not establishing legal frameworks that would protect companies like HP from leaks. The strategies will be put
to the test in court; the winner will add a new dimension to how crisis communications handle corporate scandals.