The debate on the COVID19 saga whether it is a “black swan” or a “white swan” continues. To me, this COVID19 event is a preventable tragedy just as fellow academic Nassim Taleb who coined the “black swan” term said it is – a “white swan“; not only in terms of lives, but in terms of economies and livelihood too. It is a worrying trend and time.
In the COVID-19 crisis, we are seeing TV studios chatting with guests and even their anchors in their homes, as if seeing a sudden transformation of the TV and radio business within a matter of months in 2020. However, these are NOT new. I was doing it real-time, broadcasting “live” with my colleagues in California, many time zones and oceans away, in 2002!
A crisis like COVID-19 is like no other. Unlike the Global financial crisis in 2008 or the SARS crisis earlier, this COVID-19 has literally killed entire industries that were previously thought to be invincible, like aviation. From expecting a shortfall of over 200,000 pilots needed for the next few years and an abundant order of jets from leading jet makers like Boeing and Airbus, suddenly planes and crew are all grounded, worldwide!
COVID-19 has begun to look more like COVID-20, as it dominates and fuels much of the conversations on the mainstream media and social media as well. To you and I, leaders and business owners alike, this situation is unpleasant and leaves many unknowns. But some things are certain.
When we think of Japan, we tend to think of extremely crowded Tokyo, or the antiquity of Kyoto. Some of us may think of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, from the sadder days of conflict.
These days, top and middle management crave, yes, crave for data and reports. For publicists, the measure of their success seems to be drilled down to reports – the prettier, the thicker, the better.
