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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Ukraine War Tests Whether Marketers Can Address Crisis Meaningfully – It’s been two long weeks since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, and the tragedy continues to unfold. Thousands (including civilians) are dead, millions are displaced and communities and cities have been destroyed. And now, brands need to make smart decisions about their business in Russia and how they communicate their decisions to the public. Marketing Dive takes a look at how companies are addressing the situation.
Disney Employees Furious Company Won’t Denounce Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill – Disney is facing an internal crisis as employees voice their rage at the company for not denouncing Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, which would limit discussion of sexualtiy and gender in Florida schools. This week CEO Bob Chapek wrote a memo to employees, saying he believes the best way for Disney to bring about lasting change is through the content they produce and the diverse organizations they support. But employees aren’t having it. NPR digs in.
Americans’ Attention to National News Lowest in Four Years – Fewer Americans are paying attention to national news. In December, 33% of Americans said they pay “a great deal” of attention to national news. The percentage is a substantial drop from the 54% who said they paid a great deal of attention to national news in 2020. The recent drop holds across most demographic groups but has been disproportionately pronounced among Democrats younger than 55. Knight Foundation has the details.
Axios Wants Us to Read Everything in Bullet Points – Your attention span is short, and Axios may make it shorter. The news organization, which prides itself on short-format writing (they call it, “smart brevity”), was founded in Arlington, Virginia, in 2016 and is growing by leaps and bounds. The company believes it will build back trust in the media and teach corporate America to quit its long-winded jargon. The New York Times takes a peek at the company’s strategy.
Five Phrases That Make You Sound Passive Aggressive – Corporate jargon is the bane of our existence, and it seems to get worse every day. According to Slack, 63% of workers find it “off-putting” when colleagues use jargon in their communications, and 78% said they have made efforts to avoid using jargon. MSN lists five of the most common annoying workplace phrases and offers suggestions for what to say instead.
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What We’re Reading:
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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.