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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Trump Vs. The AP: An American Standoff – As you’ve heard by now, shortly after taking office, President Trump announced the U.S. would change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. And while many media outlets, Google, etc., complied, the Associated Press (AP) isn’t having it. On Jan. 23, the AP announced it would be recognizing the body of water by its original name. Trump responded by stripping the wire service of its position in the traveling presidential press pool. This battle may have just begun, and it very well may end up in court. Get some popcorn and a margarita. The Wall Street Journal lays it out.
Can The Media’s Right To Pursue The Powerful Survive Trump’s Second Term? – You may not be familiar with the landmark 1964 Supreme Court decision, New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, but it affects you every day. Simply put, the decision made it very difficult for those in the public eye to win defamation cases against media outlets. To prevail, a plaintiff would have to prove the outlet knew they were publishing false information. The idea was to protect the First Amendment and ensure we have a free press. But now 45 days into Trump’s second term, that decision is under fire. The New York Times has the story.
Comms Lessons From The Starbucks Layoff Memo – You can learn a lot from a layoff memo. Ragan has the review.
Washington Post Opinion Editor Quits Over Bezos Changes – Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who purchased The Washington Post in 2013, is starting to make decisions that affect the paper’s content. Last week Bezos announced on X he was going to limit what he described as viewpoints opposing “personal liberties and free markets” in the paper’s opinion pages, causing the opinion section editor to resign. In October, multiple editors and writers resigned and as many as 200,000 subscribers canceled due to the paper’s decision not to endorse a presidential candidate. MSN has the story.
Want To Be A Better Listener? Take Lessons From A Chatbot. – Chatbots are learning empathy and communication skills. And this could be a good thing as humans could learn from them. Unfortunately, we’re not kidding. The Wall Street Journal has the story.
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Good Obits:
Clint Hill, Who Sprang To Kennedys’ Side As Shots Were Fired, Dies At 93
Rose Girone, Oldest Holocaust Survivor, Dies At 113
Feed Your Head:
A “High-Status Symbol” In 2025: Staying Off Your Phone
MLB Plots A New TV Model After Striking Out With ESPN
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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.