Stories by Seth Arenstein

The start of the AMEC Global Summit featured a terrific talk from well-known academic Jim Mcnamara. The Australian professor highlighted research from his new book, which looked at misinformation in various forms. A multi-faceted approach is needed to combat the scourge, he said.

From a PR viewpoint, the majority owner of Washington’s football team continues to fumble. The latest issue is a long-standing argument over changing the team’s name. Finally, team owner Daniel Snyder has agreed to review the issue. For two decades he’s ignored PR best practices. Will he change his ways this time?

An article on recruitment and retention? Now, in the midst of record unemployment? As it happens, PR is moving ahead with recruitment, though on a reduced level, yet retention is alive and well. We find out how two firms, one large, the other mid-size, are doing.

As part of our series of interviews with senior PR pros in new positions, we spoke recently with Emily Graham, FleishmanHillard’s first chief diversity & inclusion officer. During her 15-year career, Graham says she’s seen no evidence that PR has made strides toward diversity. Actions not words are needed now, she says.

With the country facing three pandemics, the only certainty is that nobody knows what’s ahead. In this atmosphere, brands and organizations are pivoting at a rate not seen previously. PR veterans offer suggestions about the best ways to approach this fluid situation.

It’s not easy for brands to listen to the social conversation. And having the sound of fireworks booming for weeks makes it difficult to listen to anything. Still, perhaps Macy’s and NYC should have compromised on plans for six nights of fireworks leading up to July 4.

With the country leading the world in virus cases and deaths, the White House’s Coronavirus Task Force held its first public briefing since late April. The effort was intended to mix positive vibes with bad facts.

It is rare when someone publicly admits they’ve lied. Rarer still is when a former PR pro does so. That’s why healthcare activist Wendell Potter’s tweet thread about his deceptions while a Cigna VP got our attention. At the moment, only Potter’s version of the story is out there. Cigna and others aren’t speaking.

The proper PR apology needs to include several basic ingredients. We provide them for you here and look at several apologies to see if they make the grade.

Many brands have said they support #BlackLivesMatter. Some have taken direct action to back up their words. It is possible LeBron James may ask them to support the effort to register black voters and fight voter suppression, a source of structural racism, James says.