Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Diversity and inclusion continue to be at the forefront of necessary change in the PR industry (and beyond). As such, communicators should be crafting inclusive messaging. Among their considerations should be race, gender and identification, sexual orientation, religion and disability, along with other factors. To create inclusive messaging, PR pros need to look beyond their unintentional biases.

PRNEWS Live celebrated the final day of Women’s History Month with Hallmark Channel CCO Annie Howell and former ESPN CCO Rosa Gatti. You can view PRNEWS’ library of free LinkedIn Live streams here.

Women hold the majority of jobs in PR, yet their lack of representation at the industry’s highest levels remains a critical issue. Azurée Montoute-Lewis, Hill + Knowlton Strategies’ global head of DEI, offers steps to rectify the situation. She begins with suggestions for removing bias from talent pipeline management.

Brands, organizations and communicators have an opportunity to influence the national conversation about Asian-American hate speech and anti-Asian violence. PR trade groups as well as brands and agencies are offering support for Asian-American colleagues and suggestions to stop hate speech and violence.

In light of Women’s History Month, PRNEWS took a look at what the industry is doing to help working mothers and caretakers in their time of need. Time will tell what impact this year of remote working and flexible scheduling will have on the future of the workplace. But many companies are taking this time to reevaluate the demands on their employees, and how they can create more suitable environments for women to thrive. 

A quartet of professors consider why women are nearly twice as likely to disable video during Zoom calls, and what to do about it. Part of the problem, they argue, is that in spite of progress on the business and social fronts, women continue to face different standards than men. When more male and female leaders show up on Zoom in casual clothes and settings, some of the boundaries will begin to fall.

PRNEWS Live welcomed Nicole Dye-Anderson of Barclays to discuss Women’s Month and finding your voice, DEI and cancel culture. You can view PRNEWS’ library of free LinkedIn Live streams here.

As we celebrate International Women’s Day, many PR pros who rely on the PRNEWS brand don’t know its founder was a woman. In 1944, Denora “Denny” Griswold had an idea at 3am to start a news vehicle for and about the PR industry. Her husband, publisher of BusinessWeek, agreed and joined her. As important as founding PRNEWS, Griswold was a visionary. At a time when there weren’t enough women in PR to fill her kitchen table, Griswold thought women could do anything.

Words and visuals have consequences. And with nearly one in two female consumers expecting companies to commit to inclusivity and diversity in communication and advertising, it’s important for communicators to carefully consider their messages. To highlight Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, we spoke about best practices with leaders from Getty Images and the Unstereotype Alliance.

With the arrival of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, we focus on two of the many female PR pros who’ve made history inside and outside PR.