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Anything said during, before or after an interview can appear in a story. In fact, anything said anywhere can end up being reported. Hope Hicks found out that even what you tell the House Committee on Intelligence behind closed doors can end up being reported.

Earlier this month a prominent columnist, writing about White House Communications chief Hope Hicks, essentially said it is the job of PR pros to lie to the media. PRSA chief Anthony D’Angelo promptly disputed that idea. Now Hicks apparently herself told House investigators that yes, she must tell white lies sporadically as part of her job. Once again D’Angelo says such a claim is wrong.

Do social media giants Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat have a viable, upstart competitor? Vero, launched and funded by billionaire Ayman Hariri in 2015, has found overnight popularity by offering free accounts to the first 1 million users, making it the No. 1 social media app on iTunes as of the morning of Feb. 27.

When Delta joined a growing list of companies rescinding discounts for NRA members, it did so by proclaiming its neutrality. And when FedEx decided to keep its NRA discount in place, the brand also attempted to stay neutral. But both quickly found that when it comes to an issue as controversial as gun control, brands can’t have it both ways.

Similar to other segments we’ve been reviewing during the past few weeks, the Health & Fitness category owes much of its 2017 growth in consumer engagement with its social posts to video. In addition, it’s following the pattern of other industries, which have posted fewer pieces of content and increased engagement. CrossFit was the leader in this category in 2017, Shareablee says.

“Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.” There’s good news and bad news for Facebook in terms of U.S. adult usage. The bad news is usage levels likely will fall in 2018, something that’s not happened in nearly one decade. The good news is it can absorb small reductions in usage for many years without its dominant position being threatened.

Data, data, data. Every communicator’s on top of data, right? Maybe not, according to a new report from The Conference Board’s Society for New Communications Research. The study of 102 public companies finds few are staffing their communications departments with people who bring competency in data analytics.

Does your organization measure results before, or after, a campaign has run its course? For Whitney Drake, who leads General Motors’ Story Bureau and Analytics function, measuring campaigns from the start is the key to more meaningful metrics—not to mention a more insights-driven workplace culture.

As a communicator, you can have a powerful impact on just about every corner of your organization by using the platforms, relationships and knowledge that you and your PR team are uniquely positioned to leverage. It’s on you to get your head around these trends and make something of them.

As a communicator, you can have a powerful impact on just about every corner of your organization by using the platforms, relationships and knowledge that you and your PR team are uniquely positioned to leverage.… Continued