There has been been a steady stream of public apologies coming from major beer brands, reality TV stars, tone-deaf bosses and even private individuals who go viral during their worst moments.

Why it matters: Social media algorithms fuel negative commentary, which can create a greater need for quick, clear apologies or explanations.

State of play: Social media firestorms can envelop brands and companies quickly, says crisis communications expert Molly McPherson.

• "Suddenly, they are a search term and a talking point that is shareable. When all of these things happen at once, you have a combustible social media inferno on your hands."

By the numbers: Since the beginnings of social media, the correlation between what's read and what's posted has been noted.

• A 2014 study from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences — which predates TikTok's highly personalized algorithms — found that social media users who "had seen mostly negative content produced more negative posts and fewer positive posts."
• In short, haters gonna hate and their hate can generate a pile-on, so what the offender does next is important.
• "That's why more people need to be prepared to quickly issue explanations, apologies or acknowledgments," says McPherson. "If there's a lack of an apology, there will be retribution, and people will deem the lack of apology as yet another grievance, so they'll need to apologize even more."

Yes, but: "Bad apologies almost always make matters worse," says Marjorie Ingall, co-author of "Sorry, Sorry, Sorry: The Case for Good Apologies."

• "If you are not sorry, you should not apologize, because you're going to make things so much worse for yourself if you apologize badly."

The bottom line: "The crime is often not the crisis itself — it's the response to the crisis," says Stacey Zolt Hara, head of global corporate affairs for Airwallex.

• "When leaders get the response wrong, that's when the wheels come off the reputation wagon. Trust is often best built from places of extreme vulnerability, and there's real power to be regained in simply saying, 'I'm sorry.'"

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The researchers at Public Apology Central examined 1,688 public apologies from the last 70 years and found that admitting fault, asking for forgiveness and deflecting with good deeds are the most common threads in an apology.

Axios combed through recent apologies made by executives and celebrities as case studies for what to do — or not to do — when caught in the cancel culture crosshairs.

✅ Let's start with the good:

• Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan issued a timely, straight to the camera apology and update to both employees and travelers following mass flight cancellations during the 2022 holiday season.
• After employees posted a food-tampering prank on YouTube in 2009, Domino's President Patrick Doyle made a personal apology to clear the air and explained how the pizza chain was addressing the matter.
• Celebrity couple Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively candidly apologized in multiple interviews and statements for getting married on a former slave plantation.

❌ And the not so good:

• Bud Light CEO Brendan Whitworth's vague, empty statement following the brand's influencer marketing agreement with Dylan Mulvaney led to more confusion and frustration from critics on both sides of the aisle.
• In response to hostile workplace accusations, talk show host Ellen DeGeneres offered an apology in the form of an opening monologue, in which she shifted blame, skirted responsibility and focused on her own feelings more than the feelings of the harmed employees.
• After Bravo reality TV star Tom Sandoval was caught having a long-term affair with another cast member, he issued a statement that failed to address any wrongdoing, and instead focused deterring fans from boycotting his restaurant business.

The bottom line: There's no one-size-fits-all apology, but there are several best practices.

Experts Axios spoke with shared these tips:

• ✅ Do: Explicitly use the words "I apologize for ..." or "I am sorry for ..." and spell out what the offense was.
• "A lot of brands and celebrities will say, 'I'd like to apologize ...' then, just do it. Or the line 'We regret ...' — but a regret is about how you feel, while an apology is about how somebody else feels," says Ingall.
• ❌ Don't hide behind the words of a publicist or spokesperson. The apology should feel authentic and true to the individual at fault.
• ✅ Do: Pull back the curtain and show that you understand what went wrong, then listen and let others process the incident.
• ✅ Do: Anticipate potential follow-up questions and prepare to address them head-on.
• ❌ Don't shift blame or make excuses.
• ❌ Don't use a passive voice ("I'm sorry your ball is lost" vs. "I'm sorry I lost your ball") because it dodges responsibility.
• ✅ Do: Temporarily suspend all other communication channels, including social media and email marketing, until a formal apology has been shared.
• ❌ Don't prioritize timeliness over thoughtfulness.
• "People need time to think about a bad thing that happened, whether you are the recipient of the bad thing or the doer of the bad thing," says Ingall. "When people have time to sit with what happened, apologies are more likely to be accepted."
• Plus: "There's no such thing as being too late to apologize," says Sarah Brown, founder of Brighton Media. "But make sure you have all of the facts and are very clear on what actually transpired before issuing an apology."
• ✅ Do: Explain the corrective measures that are being taken and offer to repair any damages, if necessary.
• ❌ Yes, but: Don't make promises you can't keep and be sure to report back with any progress.
• ✅ Do: Show empathy to the parties that suffered and speak to them directly.
• ❌ Don't let them hear about it through the grapevine or read about it in the news. Know your audiences and plan the cadence accordingly.
• ❌ Don't issue an apology if you're not actually sorry.
• Half apologies that don't convey genuine remorse will only lead to more reputational damage.
• ✅ Do: Take the long view.
• "In a crisis, make decisions that align with your long-term reputation and business goals. That might mean taking a few bruises in the short term," says Zolt Hara.

AI is often given tasks that humans don't want to do, or do begrudgingly— and apologizing can be one of those tasks.

• State of play: Generative AI's ability to write and show emotion or empathy is up for debate, so we put these concerns to the test and asked ChatGPT to "write a 200-word apology for yelling obscenities on an airplane."

🥁Here's the result ...

"I extend heartfelt apologies for my unacceptable behavior during the recent flight. My use of offensive language and yelling was completely out of line, and I deeply regret the distress it caused.

I fully understand the impact of my actions on both the cabin environment and the people around me. There is no excuse for my behavior, and I take full responsibility for my actions.

I am committed to learning from this experience and ensuring that such behavior never happens again. I am taking steps to address the underlying issues that contributed to my outburst, and I am actively seeking ways to manage my emotions more constructively.

I am truly sorry for any discomfort or inconvenience I caused. Your right to a peaceful and pleasant flight was infringed upon, and I deeply apologize for that.

I appreciate your understanding and forgiveness during this time. I am determined to earn back your trust through better actions in the future.

💭 Our thought bubble: The apology, while vague and ... err ... robotic, meets most of the best practices by explicitly apologizing, spelling out what the offense was and taking responsibility for how it made others feel, sharing actionable steps for how it will do better and pledging to restore trust in the future.

• Should we try AI-crafted "thank you" notes next?

The communicator featured in today's spotlight doesn't need to rely on AI to compose the perfect response. Meet Ben Krauss, CEO of executive communications and speechwriting firm Fenway.

Krauss has scripted prominent American leaders, like President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

• Now, he's leading a team of 18 senior writers at Fenway, an executive communications and speechwriting firm founded by Jon Favreau and Tommy Vietor in 2013.

🗣 What he's saying: "The measure of success for a speechwriter is not about finding the best words on the page, or how close your principal sticks to the script. All that matters is how confident your principal feels when they are on stage, under the lights," Krauss told Axios.

• "You want to give them the sense that they've gotten across what they intended to communicate and that they represented themselves in an authentic way. ... It's 5% writing and 95% therapy — that's what the job really is."

🧭 How he got here: Krauss has spent most of his career in the political arena and got his start in research and polling for international political parties.

• His boss at the time was former Bill Clinton speechwriter Jeremy Rosner, and through him, Krauss saw a career path in the art form.

🌡 Toughest assignment: Writing announcement speeches for the vice presidential running mate, before the running mate had been chosen.

• "Over two general elections in 2016 and 2020, I was behind the process of writing 13 speeches, two of which were delivered and 11 of which were not," says Krauss.
• "You have to write speeches for everyone who's being considered, and that process is unlike anything else. You have a little more information than the general public, but honestly, not much more ... and you're crafting these remarks on spec without any ability to talk to the person who's going to be saying the words at what will be the biggest moment of their lives."

💡 Tips of the trade: Speak like a human and avoid long, throat-clearing introductions.

🧠 Best advice: Don't give in to impostor syndrome.

Go deeper ... Read the spotlight in its entirety

Olive oil startup founder Andrew Benin shot off this authentic, typo-riddled apology to more than 35,000 customers after holiday deliveries were delayed in late 2022.

• Customers applauded Benin for his candor and many pledged stronger allegiance to the brand because of it.
• Of note: Benin put his "sorry" skills on display again in April following a LinkedIn rant about olive oil rival, Brightland.