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Data breach. In this ever-connected world, those words conjure fear, and rightly so. Click on an innocent-looking email, webpage URL or attachment, and the next thing you know, someone has access to your email

PR pros continue to consider earned media a valuable tool, according to a snap survey of 150 communicators. On the other hand, a majority say gaining media coverage is harder than ever. Perhaps as a result, 90 percent of those surveyed told us they spend very little time pitching and developing relationships with media.

Measurement guru Katie Paine compares China’s cover-up of the coronavirus and the Houston Astros’ long delay before admitting guilt in the sign-stealing scandal. Neither entity helped its reputation when it chose to ignore a crisis. Prompt response and owning your mistakes still makes the most sense.

In our monthly collaboration with The Museum of PR, in celebration of the 75th anniversary of PRNEWS, we honor three pioneering women of PR, who not only shaped the profession but also touched the world. This article also celebrates Women’s History Month Women’s Day and the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in the US.

Here’s a brief guide to what communicators should be doing and thinking about as the virus begins to make its way across the country.

Flat organizations can be great. They are cost efficient, and enable fast communication and quick decision-making. On the other hand, a flat organization can become an issue during a crisis, argues Kevin Elliott, SVP, Hill + Knowlton Strategies. His advice is to become hierarchical when a crisis occurs.

To end Black History Month, we offer the story of Inez Kaiser, the first black woman to own a PR firm in the US. Kaiser was a polymath. A teacher, an activist, a cook book author and an entrepreneur, Kaiser accomplished all this at a time when African-Americans struggled for basic civil rights.

Social media impressions is not the number of people that your post impressed. This, in part, is why social media is outgrowing its reliance on impressions as the sole metric for success. Consumer engagement (likes, shares, retweets and comments) has become the top priority. Here are eight easy tips communicators and marketers can use to bolster consumer engagement on social.

In a wide-ranging address during day 2 of PRNEWS’ Crisis and Measurement Summit in Miami, political strategist Ana Navarro had positive and negative things to say about social media. In the end, though, she believes PR pros have a difficult but important mission to promote truth in messaging. “Don’t give up on the facts,” she said.

Crisis communications principles are well known, and most companies and organizations have robust crisis plans. Still, we see daily examples of iconic brands floundering with crisis. Why? Former Burson-Marsteller chairman and new novelist Jim Lindheim addressed this issue during his keynote at PRNEWS’ Crisis and Measurement Summit in Miami. In addition, attendees received a bevy of crisis takeaways during the Feb. 25, 2020, sessions.