Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Misinformation and misrepresentation are partly responsible for the rise of hate and violence against Asian Americans. During Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, communicators can help bring awareness to stories and struggles of a community that continues to be a target of hate.

The one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s killing occurs this month. In anticipation, communicators are pondering several scenarios.

At a time when diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) should be the norm in organizations, it is not. A new survey from the University of Georgia (UGA) and PRNEWS shows a consistent shortfall on diversity-related efforts.

In an opinion column headlined, “I love Disney World, but wokeness is ruining the experience,” Jonathan VanBoskerck expressed frustration with the Disney theme park. In response to newly relaxed policies around employee dress and changes to rides like Splash Mountain, VanBoskerck claims Disney has taken a politically motivated “woke scalpel” to its park. PR pros argue Disney’s efforts are morally and strategically sound.

PRNEWS welcomed Julie Ulrich, Idaho National Labs communications strategist, to discuss recent communications campaigns promoting a diverse and engaged workforce.

PRSA added a 4-pronged information asset to its site today with a resource called Voices4Everyone. It addresses issues communicators need to navigate today’s climate, including disinformation/misinformation and D&I. PRSA says it will update resources regularly with new and curated content.

“Sticky” crises require near-immediate response and might compel crisis managers to explore and understand emerging crises’ breadth and scope. These additional complexities and communication demands influence the way crisis managers prepare for crises. Leadership requirements during sticky crises and diversity were some of the areas examined in a survey from Crisis Insider parent PRNEWS and UGA’s Crisis Communication Coalition. More than 400 PR pros were surveyed in early spring 2021. We provide several highlights.

PRNEWS Live welcomed Jenan Matari, director of accounts at Victory Public Relations. Jenan discussed inclusive messaging, recent campaigns to promote Ramadan and the importance of marketing to the Muslim population.

Early data shows how communication executives and PR pros assess complex and challenging industry-wide issues (e.g., workplace health, ethics in conflict management, and diversity, equity and inclusion [DEI]) .So far, the preliminary data show significant differences related to the perceptions of a diverse workforce.

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.