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The Flack

The Flack™ for Friday, June 14, 2024

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 Fall Of BNN Breaking, An AI-Generated News Outlet – An Irish broadcaster recently opened MSN to find a picture of himself staring back along with a false headline accusing him of sexual misconduct. The glaring error was due to a hiccup in the production of that day’s article from BNN Breaking, an AI-generated outlet. The New York Times breaks down how an outlet like BNN was able to embed itself with traditional media outlets and examines the dangerous consequences. 

Why America’s Corporations Are Leaning On Freelancers Now More Than Ever Before – More and more, Gen Z employees seem averse to “working for the man,” and see freelancing as an opportunity for independence. Not only are these workers more optimistic about their futures and careers than your average full-time office worker, they also feel there is less risk involved as short-term contract workers. Fox Business breaks down the recent trend of companies turning to freelancers – young and old – to get the job done.

That Much-Despised Apple Ad Could Be More Disturbing Than It Looks – A recent advertisement from Apple has created a PR problem. Depicting instruments being crushed to bits before revealing the new iPad, this spot immediately saw public outcry. The ensuing apology from Apple added to the controversy, as the company rarely apologizes.

Don’t You Dare Call Me Without Texting First – Have you ever sent the following text, “Time for a quick call?” If not – maybe you should. Today it seems young people expect a text before a phone call, or are taken aback by the idea of a phone call, in general. The Wall Street Journal provides insight into the mind of the younger generation when it comes to cell phone etiquette. 

How Americans Navigate Politics on TikTok, X, Facebook and InstagramAre social media sites good for democracy? A recent survey from the Pew-Knight Initiative set out to investigate this question. The answer: it’s complicated. This deep dive into Americans’ experiences with politics on social media platforms is eye-opening and required reading, especially during an election year. 

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Feed Your Head: 

3 Ways To Clearly Communicate Your Company’s Strategy

Beach Reads:

How The Fridge Changed Flavor

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flack

noun

: one who provides publicity

flack

verb

: 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.