Stories by Seth Arenstein

Juneteenth seems all but certain to become a federal holiday. Still, it seems likely some companies will resist making it a paid holiday/day off. As usual, communicators will need to navigate the waters carefully. Those who spoke with us advocated using the day to raise issues and offer education.

This month’s terms to know: Hodl, FUD and Onlyness.

For communicators, ethics permeate their daily activity. A new study reveals just how much

In this month’s issue, we ask crisis pros whether the AP averted a crisis over its handling of Emily Wilder’s firing

In this dialogue we look at the initial moments of a crisis, when communicators and companies decide, ‘Are we in a crisis? Should we react? When? How?’ Our dialoguers are TV-reporters-turned-crisis-pros Scott Sayres, Honeywell’s director, global corporate communications, crisis, reputation and issues management, and T.J. Winick, SVP, Solomon, McCown & Cence.

Surveys confirm what we think we know already. In addition, they can upend our thinking. The pandemic has resulted in a bevy of surveys for PR. We look at a few that deal with diversity, gender, profits and cyber attacks.

It seems standard practice that companies must act, or at least speak, on social and political issues. In addition, it’s generally held that CEOs, often the face of a company, have a duty to take stands on issues. The deeper you go, though, all this appears more complicated.

How does a large organization like Philip Morris International keep all internal stakeholders on the same page during a pandemic and in normal times? That’s some of what we asked PMI’s head of global internal communication Bessie Kokalis Pescio. In addition, we asked how internal communicators at small companies should approach their work.

You’d think environment, social and corporate governance (ESG) issues might suffer during the pandemic, when survival takes priority. Yet Hill+Knowlton Strategies’ new SVP and lead of its Better Impact consultancy Cathy Resler says ESG is thriving. The global crisis, she says, led people to look at their values. This collective gut-check allowed some companies to re-think how they act, including on ESG issues.

Americans are confused about the recent CDC announcement on masks. That they are confused about another coronavirus-related message is not surprising. Even Dr. Fauci says it’s not the public’s fault. Years from now historians will view the pandemic through the prism of communication.