Stories by Seth Arenstein

This case study shows how health insurance provider AETNA is traversing the difficult terrain of regulation and still managing to mount a robust social media effort.

In each edition of PR News we highlight takeaways from select articles as well as important additions to the PR News Resources Center, which is available to paid subscribers only.

Considering how often President Trump attacks him, special counsel Robert Mueller seems to be ignoring the PR maxim that if you don’t write your own narrative, someone else will do it for you. On the other hand, Mueller might prefer to allow the 30+ indictments he’s produced to do the talking for him.

Healthcare communicators have plenty to worry about, particularly working in a regulated industry where lives are at stake daily. Add to that the upcoming elections, where the Affordable Care Act is a major issue. Speaking of affordable care, questions abound when the story of a school teacher’s $100,000 hospital bill being cut to $800 is raised.

In each edition of PR News we highlight takeaways from select articles as well as additions to the PR News Resources Center, available to subscribers only at: http://www.prnewsonline.com/subscriber-resources/

Communicators at colleges have had anything but a slow summer. None have had to work harder than those at Harvard, where the school is enmeshed in a lawsuit that claims it holds Asian-American applicants to a higher standard than those of other ethnic groups. The results of a trial, set for October, could reverberate around the country.

We know change is difficult. And there are few professions where change has disrupted things more than journalism. A PR News study looks at how communicators have and have not changed their approach to pitching journalists. A Muck Rack/Zeno Group study examines how journalists have altered their approach to what they do each day.

Though he despised some of what the media said about him, John McCain believed a strong press was critical to democracy’s survival. As a result, he respected the media and made sure his staff did, too. This strong relationship with the media helped McCain to receive fair treatment from the press. In addition, during a difficult moment for the senator, the media came to his defense.

Communicators know if your brand isn’t telling its story someone else will be glad to, and you’ll probably dislike what’s being said. In a case PR students likely will be studying for years, Papa John’s Pizza International is relating its narrative, but so is founder Papa John Schnater, the ex-chairman/CEO, who’s launched a website with a competing view of events.

Nabisco’s Barnum’s Animal Crackers now features drawings of animals on the iconic red boxes roaming free, as opposed to being cooped up in cages as they’ve been shown for more than 100 years. The folks at PETA are smiling, having helped effect yet another kinder treatment of animals.