Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

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.

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.