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 Billionaire Trying To Build The ‘Next Great Washington Newsroom’ – Robert Allbritton, billionaire co-founder of Politico, is expanding his news startup Notus into a publication called the Star, targeting Washington D.C.’s politically influential readership. Inspired by reports of disgruntled Washington Post journalists considering departures, Allbritton pivoted quickly, hiring reporters from major outlets, and is planning to grow his newsroom to around 100 journalists by year’s end. Albritton says this venture is purely mission-driven, not profit-motivated. Believe him? The Wall Street Journal has the story.
The Inside Story Of Five Days That Remade The Supreme Court – In February 2016, the Supreme Court issued a one-paragraph emergency order halting Obama’s Clean Power Plan — a decision that legal experts now consider the birth of the court’s “shadow docket.” The New York Times obtained secret internal memos revealing that Chief Justice Roberts aggressively pushed colleagues to act, arguing the regulation was too costly to allow while litigation proceeded. Justice Kennedy cast the deciding vote. Notably, no justice mentioned climate change as a harm worth considering. The rushed, unexplained ruling set a precedent that has since reshaped how the court operates, with emergency orders now routinely bypassing traditional deliberative procedures. Find a comfortable chair as this article is roughly 3,500 words, but you don’t want to miss it.
We’re All Talking To Each Other Less Than We Did A Decade Ago – Research shows Americans spoke 28% fewer words daily between 2005 and 2019, dropping from 16,600 to 11,900 words. Digital technology, food-ordering apps, self-checkout lanes, and AirPods are replacing casual conversation with strangers and loved ones. Both younger and older adults are affected. Experts worry about rising loneliness, declining conversational skills, and reduced vocabulary development in babies whose parents are distracted by phones. Researchers believe the decline has likely accelerated since the pandemic. The Wall Street Journal digs into this disturbing trend.
Gen Z Pout, ‘Influencer Voice’ And The Horror Of ‘Looking Cringe’ – Oh, the horror! Generation Z is obsessed with avoiding “cringe,” a fear that shapes their online personas and real-world behavior. Over half of adult Gen Zers have avoided self-expression online due to this fear, with 55% saying it has prevented emotional vulnerability. Psychologists link this to rising social anxiety, worsened by pandemic-era isolation. Trends like the “Gen Z pout” reflect a culture valuing performed nonchalance. Some creators are pushing back, encouraging peers to embrace embarrassment by “climbing cringe mountain” toward authenticity. USA Today takes a look.
Will AI End Anonymity? – Is anonymity over? Washington Post columnist Megan McArdle argues that’s likely the case. In this editorial McArdle reveals that Claude Opus 4.7 can identify authors from remarkably small writing samples — pinpointing her from as few as 124 words of unpublished text. The author explains this effectively signals the end of online anonymity, threatening not just internet trolls but also journalism’s anonymous sources, political dissidents, and vulnerable people seeking help in online forums. While AI companies may attempt restrictions, she concludes that once such capability exists, it cannot be stopped. Don’t miss this one.
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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.