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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There’s No Quick Fix for Social Media – Social media has changed society. It affects how we communicate, consume news, shop and so much more. Social media has also become a tool for hate speech, misinformation, bullying and many other troubling issues. But there’s no going back, and this is not an easy problem to solve. The Wall Street Journal takes a deep dive and looks into where we might go from here. Grab a cup of coffee and dig in.
New Podcast Creation Has Fallen Off a Cliff – There seems to be a podcast (or dozens) for every topic under the sun, and there seem to be more podcasts every day. Will the growth of the medium ever stop? Apparently, the answer is “yes.” New podcasts have been declining since 2020, and the margin of decline is increasing: the number of new shows created dropped by nearly 80% between 2020 and 2022. So what’s going on? Why is the hottest medium suddenly cooling down? The Verge investigates.
Clothes Make the Con Man – By now you may be sick of reading about George Santos. The Republican congressman representing parts of Long Island and Queens has been outed for fabricating almost everything on his resume – including a claim that he was a volleyball “star” at Baruch College. But rather than rehash all of that, The New York Times decided to look at something else…his clothes. And it’s fascinating.
The Shape of a Spectacular Speech – When it comes to speeches, few are more famous or more revered than Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, which he delivered at the March on Washington in 1963. But when you take a closer look, and I mean a much closer look, it’s more than just a speech. It’s a work of art. In this quick video author Nancy Duarte breaks it all down. You may never listen to it the same way again.
Alarmed by A.I. Chatbots, Universities Start Revamping How They Teach – Colleges have been dealing with cheating and other ethical violations forever. Today, thanks to artificial intelligence, they really have their hands full. Students are now using a chatbot called ChatGPT to write their term papers, and they’re often the best in the class. The technology behind this is amazing, and it has universities scrambling for a solution. The New York Times takes a look.
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Feed Your Head:
How to Make Your Smartphone Photos So Much Better
An Obit Worth Reading:
Obit: The Man Who Drove the VW Beetle’s American Invasion
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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.