Stories by Cedric F. Brown

The social movement Black Lives Matter is one of several groups calling for an end to structural racism and promoting fair police treatment. A look at some of the movement’s hashtags offer lessons for coalitions in and out of the social advocacy sphere.

Most PR pros learn about media relations in school or on the job. Matt Newey, a photographer and ski nut, absorbed some of the basics through trial and error. He pitched his personal story of contracting COVID-19 to hundreds of reporters. It worked.

The pandemic has caused more than a few sectors to pivot. Why not influencers? With travel and leisure destinations largely off the radar, influencers increasingly are working with the public sector, education organizations and social causes. The goal in most cases is to promote awareness of health and other messages.

We’re living in difficult times. Yet, the events of 2020, for good or ill, are shaping up to be storytelling gold. It’s a time for brand storytellers to gather and capture real-time history and to think more broadly about how these stories can be used.

In this continuing series about career lessons, veteran communicator Dale Bornstein discusses how to unleash a PR pro’s career passion. While it is hard work for management and the staffer in question, there’s nothing more satisfying. The first step is asking the employee to describe their dream job.

Using AI to create realistic but deceitful video content, known as a deepfake, is rapidly moving into the business world. As such, communicators need to know how to recognize and combat deepfakes to protect their business and the brands they represent. Kglobal’s Ellen Huber offers tips and tactics.

With health and economic pandemics gripping the country, many PR shops have suspended summer intern programs. On the other hand, some continue. A trio of research associates at kglobal write that a virtual internship is better than none at all. Our three authors relate lessons learned and offer tips for PR pros on communicating, virtually, with interns.

The PRNEWS staff comes across many examples of brand advertising and communications every day. We have compiled a weekly assessment, with staff members providing their choices of the most notable, good or bad. This week, we placed a special focus on Fourth of July messaging.

PRNEWS welcomes guest Tracey Wood Mendelsohn, president and CEO of the Black Public Relations Society of New York to talk about PR campaigns promoting equality throughout history.

Is this pandemic moment the right time to initiate an influencer campaign? Influencer marketing certainly has pain points, yet this might be an ideal time, argue Allison Fitzpatrick and Paavana Kumar of Davis & Gilbert LLP. Here are their content and regulatory tips to bolster influencer success.