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 Publicist On Call For Controversy – When Vice reporter Mitchell Sunderland was canceled in 2017 for a sexist email, he never could have guessed what his job today would be. Now working under the name Mitchell Jackson, his husband’s last name, he is a publicist for a number of prominent and often controversial podcasters and YouTubers on both sides of the political spectrum. From Candace Owens to Caroline Calloway, Jackson has made a name for himself as the person to go to when people start to hate you. The New York Times has the details.
Howard Stern’s Future With SiriusXM Up In The Air As $500M Contract Nears Its End – Howard Stern’s show, which has been on SiriusXM since 2006, may be coming to an end, the New York Post reports. Stern – who built a reputation as a “shock jock” willing to ask anything – is now asking himself whether he should retire.
Confederate Statue Toppled During Black Lives Matter Protests Will Be Reinstalled – The only statue of a Confederate figure in Washington D.C. will soon be reinstalled by the National Park Service in accordance with Trump’s executive order to beatify the district. Albert Pike, the figure in question, was a Confederate general until he resigned in disgrace. Local representative Eleanor Holmes Norton spoke with NPR about the recent development.
Why Workplace Diversity And Social Programs Thrive By Going Incognito – Recent survey data compiled by Inc. reveal strategies by businesses to re-route their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts rather than completely eliminate them. Because of recent political pressure and executive orders, organizations across the board have been scrubbing their official departments relating to DEI and CSR (corporate social responsibility). What this data finds, however, is that companies have been continuing the same programs – after a little “reframing” of objectives.
Videos Of Cute Dolls Behaving Badly Have Gone Quiet. Fans Are Freaking Out. – A TikTok account with 3.5 million followers is being sued by influential Japanese toy company Epoch. Sylvanian Drama, which has been posting dark videos of fuzzy dolls in the “Sylvanian Family” since 2021, has garnered the affection of millions. The content of these videos seems to be upsetting to the toymaker, as the videos depict their dolls lying, cheating, and murdering on a regular basis. The Wall Street Journal spoke to several fans over the controversial lawsuits.
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Beach Reads:
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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.