The Washington Post Has a Bezos Problem; Mystery Solved: ‘Dateline’ Finds Path From TV to Podcast Stardom; No Tune, No Words, No Dancing: Why White Noise is the Music Industry’s Newest Hit; Is This 2017 Heineken Ad the Key to Saving Democracy?; Fast Company Shuts Website After Hack Sends ‘obscene’ Apple News Notifications
The Flack highlights changes and trends in the news, examples of communications practices, and content we at BYRNE PR thought you might find useful.
We hope you enjoy, and we always welcome your feedback.
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The Rise and Rise of Partisan Local Newsrooms – Since 2004, more than 2,000 local newspapers have vanished in the United States, creating a news vacuum that is being filled to some degree by “pink slime” journalism and partisan newsrooms. Columbia Journalism Review takes a deep look at the issue and whether truly objective journalism is even possible any more.
How Do Japanese Show They Care? By Sending a Telegram. – “What hath God wrought?” That was the first telegram ever sent by Samual Morse in 1844. In the United States telegrams peaked in the 1920s and ‘30s primarily because they were less expensive than long-distance calls. Use of telegrams began plummeting in the 1960s, and Western Union sent its last telegram in 2016. But the medium is far from dead. In Japan and a few other countries telegrams are alive and used regularly to congratulate and pass along condolences. The New York Times digs into the forgotten medium.
The Late-Night Circuit: Why Do Politicians Do It? – Political candidates appearing on late-night talk shows is nothing new. John F. Kennedy was the first major political candidate to appear on a late-night show when he was a guest on Tonight Starring Jack Paar in 1960. Since then Bill Clinton famously played sax on Arsenio in 1992, and today candidates are regular guests on the late-night circuit. But this begs the question: why do they do it? JSTOR Daily reviews the very simple answer.
iPhone Now Makes Up the Majority of U.S. Smartphones – In its 15 years of existence, the iPhone has become a global phenomenon. Despite the rising cost and strange phenomenon of batteries suddenly not lasting as long when new versions are released, the iPhone continues to grow in popularity. Today it makes up more than 50% of the U.S. smartphone market. Visual Capitalist looks at why.
Casa Magazines Is the Last of Its Kind – There is still a magazine shop. It’s in New York’s West Village on the corner of Eighth Avenue and Twelfth Street. And it’s magical.
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Feed Your Head:
iPhone Users Can Now Edit and Unsend Text Messages (but only to other iPhone users)
The 40-Year Evolution of the Emoji
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flack
: one who provides publicity
flack
: to act as a press agent or promoter for something
The word flack was first used as a noun meaning “publicity agent” during the late 1930s. According to one rumor, the word was coined in tribute to a well-known movie publicist of the time, Gene Flack.
College Football’s Twilight; Wendy’s Debuts Gray-haired Logo for Ageism, or Is It Woke Washing?; There Are 4 Kinds of Digital Hoarder. Which One Are You?; How to Get Better at Reading People from Different Cultures ;Starbucks’ Free Refill Policy Is Genius – Even if Very Few Know of It
What is ‘Quiet Quitting,’ and How it May Be a Misnomer for Setting Boundaries at Work; Hangover Leave Tops Houseplant Bereavement in Job Perks Wish List; Who is Collecting Data From Your Car?; Why Competitive Chess is as Vicious as 10 Rounds in a Boxing Ring; The Rise of the “Morally Dubious Podcaster” in Pop Culture
The High-Stakes Race to Engineer New Psychedelic Drugs; Are You Sure You’re Not Guilty of ‘Millennial Pause’?; 4 Ways to Communicate With More Empathy; Tito’s is Trolling Canned Cocktails With $20 Empty Cans; How Vin Scully Scored His Dodgers Gig at 22 years Old
Media Confidence Ratings at Record Lows; Are Jeopardy! Contestants Getting Better?; Bring Back the Landline; 5 Trends Social Media Experts Are Watching; The Rise of Cross-Brand Mashups
Cowboys’ Partnership With Pro-Gun Black Rifle Coffee Draws Criticisim Amidst Gun Violence; LIV Golf Shines a Spotlight on “Sportswashing” – the Nascent Term for an Age-Old Strategy; Hard Seltzer Has Gone Flat; The Uber Whistleblower: I’m Exposing a System That Sold People a Lie; Can a Corporation Own Color?
The Flack highlights changes and trends in the news, examples of communications practices, and content we at BYRNE PR thought you might find useful.
We hope you enjoy, and we always welcome your feedback.
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Companies Are More Vocal Than Ever on Social Issues. Not on Abortion – Companies, schools and other organizations seem to be taking positions and speaking out about more social and political issues every week. But last week’s reversal of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court seems to be a little different. While some companies have made statements about their disappointment/outrage at the decision and the support they will provide employees (reimbursement for travel costs, etc.), many others have been noticeably silent. The New York Times takes a look at what makes abortion different.
Meta Bans Staff from Open Discussion of Roe v. Wade – In the wake of the landmark Supreme Court decision, organizations have had to make decisions about how to communicate about the issue with employees. And Meta, parent company of Facebook, has decided to forbid employees from discussing the issue. Insider digs into this curious decision.
How China is Policing the Future – Twenty years ago Tom Cruise starred in “Minority Report,” a futuristic film about how crime has been virtually eliminated by arresting people before they commit a crime. Today in China, that kind of science fiction is becoming a reality. The 1.4 billion people who live in China are tracked, their purchases monitored and their online chats censored. But now even their future is being watched. The New York Times looks at the future of policing in China.
Woodward and Bernstein Didn’t Bring Down a President – But the Myth That They Did Lives on – Don’t let facts get in the way of a good story. Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein uncovered crimes that forced Richard Nixon to resign the presidency in 1974. Or at least that’s how the story goes. However, that version of history is at least overly simplistic and probably inaccurate. Woodward and Bernstein did legendary reporting that contributed to the fall of Nixon, and they won a Pulitzer Prize for their work. But Washington Post editor Katherine Graham and Bob Woodward himself would be among the first to tell you, they did not bring down a U.S. President. The Conversation reviews what really unfolded.
How ‘Disney Adults’ Became the Most Hated Group on the Internet – Is it harmless fun for adults to be obsessed with all things Disney, or does it signal the fall of Western Civilization? People have strangely strong opinions about this topic, but one thing is certain: Disney adults exist. Their obsession with Disney parks, characters, films and merchandise can be impressive or disturbing depending on your perspective. Rolling Stone digs into the not so small world of Disney adults.
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Feed Your Head:
A Presentation Isn’t Always the Right Way to Communicate
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flack
: one who provides publicity
flack
: to act as a press agent or promoter for something
The word flack was first used as a noun meaning “publicity agent” during the late 1930s. According to one rumor, the word was coined in tribute to a well-known movie publicist of the time, Gene Flack.
The Flack highlights changes and trends in the news, examples of communications practices, and content we at BYRNE PR thought you might find useful.
We hope you enjoy, and we always welcome your feedback.
************************
Saudi Arabia’s Golf Gambit – As you’ve certainly heard by now, LIV Golf is a professional golf tour backed by the government of Saudi Arabia. The tour is offering PGA Tour players massive contracts to defect to the LIV Tour, and it seems to be working. Phil Mickelson was reportedly paid $200 million to join, and other marquee names, including Dustin Johnson, have followed suit. This past week the PGA Tour suspended 17 of these players. Bottom line: this is a mess, and it’s about to get messier. Foreign Policy does a nice job sorting it out.
Substack’s Founders Dive Headfirst Into The Culture Wars – Substack launched in July 2017 with a seemingly smart, benign premise: a place for writers to post their content, and readers can pay them directly for access. But there’s one catch: Substack is fairly relaxed about the content they allow. Five years and one million paying subscribers later, Substack is changing journalism and igniting questions about free speech. Vanity Fair takes a deep look at Substack and its influence.
A Vanishing Word in Abortion Debate: ‘Women’ – As the Supreme Court appears poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, another debate is surfacing about the language used to discuss reproductive rights. Medical, government and progressive organizations have adopted gender-neutral language that draws few distinctions between women and transgender men, as well as those who reject those identities altogether. In 2020, the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL) issued a guide to activists on abortion that stressed they should talk about a “woman’s choice.” Two years later, the same guide emphasized the need for “gender-neutral language.” The New York Times digs into the debate about the language surrounding reproductive rights.
Antarctica’s Riskiest Glacier is Under Assault From Below and is Losing its Grip – Yeah, yeah, yeah…we’ve all heard it. Climate change is real. Icebergs and ice sheets are melting fast, and the potential for sea levels to rise is more than significant. But before you brush past this issue as something you’re sick of hearing about, take 10 minutes and read this article from The Conversation. It may change your perspective and/or scare the hell out of you.
The Savannah Bananas and The Business of Making Baseball Fun – There’s no debate: Baseball is boring. In 2020 the average MLB game lasted more than three hours; the average MLB fan is 57; and attendance/viewership has been plummeting for years. So it may not be surprising that one minor league team is looking to do the opposite of what MLB does, and they’ve sold out every game since 2016. The Hustle brings you the Savannah Bananas.
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flack
: one who provides publicity
flack
: to act as a press agent or promoter for something
The word flack was first used as a noun meaning “publicity agent” during the late 1930s. According to one rumor, the word was coined in tribute to a well-known movie publicist of the time, Gene Flack.
The Flack highlights changes and trends in the news, examples of communications practices, and content we at BYRNE PR thought you might find useful.
We hope you enjoy, and we always welcome your feedback.
************************
Some Companies Walked Away From The NRA After Sandy Hook. Will The Same Happen Following The Uvalde Massacre? – Last week’s elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that left 19 children and two teachers dead is still very fresh. But in this day and age of companies taking positions on political and social issues, it remains to be seen if the NRA’s remaining corporate sponsors will walk away. Fortune takes a look.
Alex Cooper is Coming for Joe Rogan’s Spot – As you probably know, Joe Rogan is the king of podcasting. The standup comedian has hosted his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, since 2009, but Spotify has taken it to another level. Since signing a licensing agreement for $100 million with the streaming service, Rogan has seen his audience numbers explode. Today, nearly 9 million people stream each episode. But Rogan shouldn’t rest on his laurels. Alex Cooper has him in her sights. She also recently signed a deal with Spotify, and her audience is growing … quickly. The New York Times examines the podcaster who might be the next household name.
New York City Bids Farewell to Its Last Pay Phone – Last week New York City pay phones became a thing of the past, as the last one was removed from midtown Manhattan. The phone is now on its way to the Museum of the City of New York and will be part of the exhibit, Analog City: NYC B.C. (Before Computers). NPR looks at the end of an era. And yes, you are old.
Would These Undelivered Speeches Really Have Changed History? – The Gettysburg Address, “I Have a Dream,” FDR’s speech following Pearl Harbor…it’s easy to list famous speeches that changed the course of history. But did you ever stop and think about the great speeches that were written, but, for many reasons, never delivered? Neither did we. But thankfully, Joe Nussbaum, speechwriter for many powerful politicians did, and he’s captured many of them in his new book, “UNDELIVERED – The Never-Heard Speeches that Would Have Rewritten History.” The New Republic has a review.
What Do Americans Know About International Affairs? – Well, it depends on the topic. According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, Americans, on average, know quite a bit about certain global leaders and institutions and far less about others. For example, nearly 80% of those surveyed could identify Kim Jong Un as the leader of North Korea, but only 41% could identify the flag of the world’s second most populous country. Read the report and take the survey to see how much you know.
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Go Forth and Do Great Things:
The Most Notable Commencement Speeches of 2022
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flack
: one who provides publicity
flack
: to act as a press agent or promoter for something
The word flack was first used as a noun meaning “publicity agent” during the late 1930s. According to one rumor, the word was coined in tribute to a well-known movie publicist of the time, Gene Flack.
