Sony executive apologizes after internal emails are leaked (Minji Jung)

Sony executive apologizes after internal emails are leaked By Beki Winchel

 

Sony, as we know, is a famous brand. Recently, a group of hackers, calling themselves Guardians of the Peace, attacked Sony. Since then, five of the studio’s unreleased films, including the new remake of “Annie,” have appeared online for downloading purposes. Sensitive employee information, including salaries and Social Security numbers, have been made available as well. In addition to these, a series of internal emails was also made public, including a nasty fight between film producer Scott Rudin and Sony Entertainment Chairman Amy Pascal. A thread referencing movies President Obama might like to watch (they were all racially themed, with “12 Years a Slave” and “Django: Unchained” specifically named) drew particular criticism. I think this is truly a PR “nightmare.” First, they failed in their protection of the privacy and security of their employees; secondly, their executives were also humiliated. “Sony Pictures needs to figure out a way to stop the bleeding, before it can get to healing,” according to Edgar Alvarez.

            Sony’s response was to write a PR statement to the public, from each affected executive, apologizing for the inappropriate comments that had been made in private emails. They also chose to “fight fire with fire,” in that they are releasing corrupted data in combination with the already downloaded material. This, in turn, will corrupt any true data that is downloaded, helping to stop the spread of these unreleased films. Some directors and writers that have worked with Sony, also spoke on social media in defense of Sony. Their tweets help the public understand what has occurred and garners sympathy for Sony.

            Some of the strategies Sony utilized, including public apologies, are following the best course of action to recoup their losses. Hacking into the downloading stream would not have been a strategy I would have thought of, but is overall, effective. Using other directors and writers to garner sympathy is useful, but may not really help the situation. The main issue is to ensure the privacy and safety of worker’s pay and private information. Once this has been completed, a policy should be implemented to prevent these types of emails being allowed at work. Nothing should be permitted that wouldn’t be acceptable for all to read. They must have some internal process to follow this through, and a PR statement should be made, following the public apology, to let the general public know this has been implemented.

 

 

References

Beki Winchel (2014, 12.12). Sony executive apologizes after internal emails are leaked. Retrieved from http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/Sony_executive_apologizes_after_internal_emails_ar_17778.aspx