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In 2015, the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite first appeared on the Twitter timeline, going viral for the prestigious awards event lacking a diverse lineup of films, actors, producers and directors. Five years later, The Academy announced sweeping standards to incorporate a wider representation and inclusion regarding nominees.

Nobody enjoys having difficult conversations. Sometimes, as PR pros, we have difficult exchanges with those who pay our salary and can influence our career. Being direct, empathetic and solutions-oriented can help make such exchanges less difficult and, most important, help build trust and understanding.

President Trump has a unique communication style that, after nearly four years, continues to confound PR pros. In the course of one day, the president will utter things most communicators would never expect him to say. Labor Day provided a perfect example of why we keep listening to the president.

When COVID-19 shut down most in-person communication, the traditional press conference just didn’t cut it any more.

In the latest article in this series with the Institute for PR, veteran communicator Geoff Curtis discusses how a three-day off-site helped change his life. 10 years later, he’s still applying the lessons he learned during the off-site as he continues on a journey toward self-awareness.

A new model shows more than 400,000 Americans will die from COVID-19 by the start of 2021. That’s if Americans continue what they’re doing now regarding distancing, mask-wearing and hand-washing. Drs. Anthony Fauci and Sanjay Gupta believe Americans are growing weary of the mitigation message. That weariness is costing lives, they say.

PR pros who’ve made the jump from journalism may remember how upsetting it was when a PR pro or corporate executive answered a question with, “No comment.” Veteran PR pro and, yes, former reporter Arthur Solomon offers a bevy of responses communicators and executives can use when they don’t want to comment, but also wish to avoid uttering those damnable words, “No comment.”

Facebook announced that it will halt all publishing of new political advertisements in the week leading up to the November presidential election. This comes on the heels of concerns of how Facebook could be used to impact an election. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg also issued a warning regarding potential unrest over election results and processes. 

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 Labor Day and end-of-summer messaging.

PRNEWS Live welcomed Anne Green, principal/managing director, G&S Business Communications to speaking with us about women’s equality and related diversity issues.