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It’s fitting that today, March 24, 2021, is both Equal Pay Day and the birthday of PRNEWS’s founder, the inestimable Denora “Denny” Griswold (1908-2001). Griswold’s birthday is special this year, though. Just one week ago, a large package arrived at the Museum of Public Relations. It’s sort of a birthday gift for PR historians worldwide.

All publicity is good publicity. Not so fast. When a company or person faces legal charges, inviting the press for an interview can backfire. Take the example of Jacob Angeli, the QAnon Shaman, whose jailhouse interview backfired badly.

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.

Burger King UK’s recent misstep on International Women’s Day is well known. One of the takeaways, writes Yonder CMO Lisa Roberts, comes from a basic principle: Know your audience. Roberts, though, goes beyond the usual interpretation of that communication maxim. In addition, she emphasizes the importance of planning for something to go wrong and reacting quickly.

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. 

For some, transparency and trust took a detour recently. A marketing company dangled COVID-19 vaccine in front of employees to see if they’d bite on a phishing scam. Some communicators believe the move might be justified in an effort to ward off cyber crime. Let the debate continue.

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.

We speak with Tiffany Rivers, director of social media at Media Cause. Rivers will join us in a panel conversation on what platforms attendees should keep an eye on this year, and tips for determining when it’s best to skip jumping on the bandwagon.

Despite many changes from the pandemic, journalists continue to want tight, relevant pitches. A new Muck Rack study finds the best day to pitch remains Monday and that journalists prefer academics and CEOs for interviews. They also have a slight preference for brand communicators over PR pros from agencies.