What a difference a year makes. After a 2018 Grammys ceremony that gave only one major award to a woman and prompted The Recording Academy president Neil Portnow to say that women should “step up” to advance their careers, the 2019 show was made deliberate moves to promote diversity. The 61st Annual Grammy Awards offered lessons on what diversity and inclusion currently mean to The Recording Academy, most for better and some for worse. Here’s what we learned.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
What We Learned About Diversity and Inclusion at The 2019 Grammys
February 11th, 2019 by Justin JoffePR News’ Top Women in PR Speak: Onus on us and Industry to Close Leadership Gap
January 16th, 2019 by Seth ArensteinAs the PR News’ Top Women in PR awards luncheon approaches (Jan. 25, NYC), we look at why women continue to dominate PR in terms of numbers of jobs, yet are largely excluded from its leadership positions. We asked some of the women who will be honored next week about this and what can be done. They said the solutions should come from women and industry.
Five Ways to Move the Diversity Needle Forward
December 26th, 2018 by Sharon Fenster, PRSA-NYDiversity and PR are inextricably linked, yet communicators have talked about diversity for years and many issues remain within communications and many other sectors. PRSA-NY president Sharon Fenster offers five ways to bolster diversity in the PR industry and at brands and nonprofit organizations.
PR Takeaways from NAACP’s Facebook Boycott
December 18th, 2018 by Justin Joffe“Our decision to return the donation to Facebook and logging out of the platform for a week is part of a strategy to bring attention to Facebook ‘s failures in protecting the integrity of both our privacy and our vote,” NAACP’s Aba Blankson told PR News.
A New Day for Brand Activism: 56 Companies Oppose Gender Laws
November 2nd, 2018 by Seth ArensteinEven just a couple of years ago brands were more than a bit cautious when wading into social and political issues. Things are different now. Consider the size and scope of the 56 companies that signed a letter yesterday protesting rule changes for transgender people. Still, brands need to be careful when taking stands on social and political issues.
6 Tips for Multicultural Influencer Marketing That Doesn’t Miss the Mark
October 17th, 2018 by Sophie Maerowitz“Don’t be Pepsi.” That’s a piece of advice many influencer marketing experts have shared since the soda brand’s 2017 misstep, when it cast Kendall Jenner as a champion of diversity and the Black Lives Matter movement. Here, three influencer marketing experts share the pivotal roles diversity and inclusion are playing in the field—and how brands can ensure they get multicultural influencer marketing right.
Why J.K. Rowling Gave an Artful Response to the Nagini Casting Controversy
September 27th, 2018 by Justin JoffeNot all brand leaders ought to have their smartphones taken away. Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has established a reputation as the rarest of figureheads—not only does she have her fingerprints on every piece of work that bears a connection to her “Wizarding World,” but she often responds to fans online directly, keeping up a dialogue and mitigating any controversies that arise.
Amidst New Accusations of Gender Bias, Facebook Ads are Once Again the Culprit
September 19th, 2018 by Justin JoffeAll recent accusations of bias have one thing in common, the same thing that Facebook has dodged questions of reform or regulation over and generally failed to directly address: its proprietary, micro-targeting ad platform. It was this ad platform that allowed the Russians to pay for propaganda in rubles, it was this ad platform that allowed Cambridge Analytica to manipulate its third-party audience categories, and it was this ad platform that has brought the latest accusations of gender bias back to Facebook.
Diversity at the Emmys: Actors of Color Snubbed Despite Assurances of Inclusion
September 18th, 2018 by Hayley JenningsThe 70th annual Primetime Emmy awards talked the talk about increasing diversity on television and Hollywood at large, but did not walk the walk. Despite numerous jokes and skits poking fun at the traditional snubbing of people of color in the entertainment industry, and the most diverse group of nominees in the history of the program, 22 of the 26 award winners were white.
Love Won: How HRC’s Platinum Hall of Fame Winning Logo Sparked a Movement
September 17th, 2018 by Sophie MaerowitzHuman Rights Campaign’s red equality logo put the spotlight on HRC and spread awareness about the organization. Whether the logo is seen on a T-shirt or a lawmaker’s lapel, it sends a message that the Human Rights Campaign and its supporters remain vigilant in the fight for LGBTQ equality. To celebrate HRC’s induction into the 2018 Platinum Hall of Fame, PR News sat down with HRC’s senior design director Robert Villaflor to learn more about the inner workings of the campaign.