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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Media Confidence Ratings at Record Lows – Americans’ confidence in news media, specifically print and TV news, is dropping. That may not surprise you, but the degree to which it has dropped may. According to Gallup, television news and newspapers rank nearly at the bottom of that list of institutions, with only Congress garnering less confidence from the public than TV news. While these two news institutions have never earned high confidence ratings, the recent decline is unprecedented. Take a look at the numbers and the trend.
Are Jeopardy! Contestants Getting Better? – Not that many years ago, Jeopardy! was a game of tightly contested matches, with players stringing together two or three consecutive wins. Every once in a while, someone would win five straight. Today, it’s a different game, with players dominating on a higher level. Amy Schneider’s recent 40-game streak put her among the all-time greats. But she’s not alone. Recently, other players have strung together 20- and 30-game winning streaks, with correct-answer rates exceeding 90%. So what’s going on? IGN tries to figure it out.
Bring Back the Landline – Years ago, when you got rid of your landline, it seemed like a leap of faith. Will this really work? What happens if I don’t have a signal? That said, it’s worked out to the point many people can hardly remember having a landline. But landlines affected relationships and the family dynamic. The Financial Times takes a look at the cultural impact of eliminating landlines and why your parents doing so feels a bit different.
5 Trends Social Media Experts Are Watching – It’s easy to get tired of hearing about social media and its impact on kids, politics, misinformation, relationships, etc. Still, the cultural impact of social media can hardly be overstated. It’s evolving every day and having a significant impact on almost every facet of our lives (whether we like it or not). The M.I.T. Sloan School of Business is keeping an eye on these five trends.
The Rise of Cross-Brand Mashups – Brand mashups have been happening for decades. Think of Dairy Queen Blizzards sprinkled with bits of Oreos or Heath Bars, or Taco Bell taco shells made with Doritos. But today they’re becoming more prevalent. Walk into almost any grocery store and you may see Swiss Miss Lucky Charms or even, God forbid, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Ice Cream (wish we were kidding). Brand mashups used to be something unusual, but now they’re popping up everywhere. But why is this happening? What do brands gain from such collaborations? The Takeout looks at the trend and what’s causing it.
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Feed Your Head:
33 Problems With Media in One Chart
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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.