About this episode
The episode discusses the strategic role of communications teams and the importance of credibility in corporate messaging.
In this episode of Communication Breakdown, hosts Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll revisit recent essays from Craig and Steve on corporate communications, media scrutiny, and the strategic role of the comms function. Craig breaks down his argument that many communications teams are doing valuable work in the wrong order, adding tools, reports, and activity before clearing out low-value work and building repeatable strategic access. Steve then pushes into the risks of bypassing the press, the value of editorial scrutiny, and why Pope Leo’s communication style offers a timely lesson in speed, authenticity, and disciplined message control. For PR and corporate reputation professionals, the episode is a sharp reminder that credibility depends on sequence, scrutiny, and sustained alignment between what an organization says and what it can actually support. Takeaways Communications teams cannot earn strategic influence by simply adding more dashboards, reports, tools, or meetings. The real opportunity is moving from high effort and low impact toward work that creates judgment, access, and organizational influence. Boeing shows the risk of a widening gap between public claims and…
People in this episode
Hosts: Steve Dowling, Craig Carroll
Topics covered
- corporate communications
- media scrutiny
- strategic role of communications
- public relations
- organizational influence
Keywords
- corporate communications
- media scrutiny
- strategic access
- public relations
- organizational influence
- credibility
- Boeing
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Boeing, Alaska Airlines, Shell, Greenpeace, Axios, Meta, DoorDash, GameStop, CNBC, Pfizer
More episodes of Communication Breakdown
- bp’s Big Problem · June 4, 2026 · 23 min
- “Lower-Value Human Capital” · May 28, 2026 · 31 min
- The AI Commencement · May 21, 2026 · 29 min
- Of Maersk and Men · May 14, 2026 · 30 min
- GameStop’s faceplant, Wells Fargo’s comeback · May 7, 2026 · 30 min
- United plants a flag, IBM waves one · May 1, 2026 · 33 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Communication Breakdown podcast page.