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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No Winners So Far in Hamas-Israel PR War – In addition to the war itself, there is a PR war taking place between Israel and Hamas, with both sides claiming they have not committed war crimes. And the denials by both are creating outrage and more violence around the world. Asia Times looks at the war of words about the conflict and the damage it’s causing.
TikTok Clarifies Its Moderating Policies Amid Israel-Hamas War – The news of the Israel-Hamas war has been absolutely gut wrenching, and social media platforms have been under fire for their role in perpetuating misinformation. To that end, TikTok is taking a stand and clarifying its policies. The company says it has removed 500,000 videos and closed 8,000 livestreams for violating its policies so far. Mashable has the story.
The Rebirth of Local News Depends on All of Us – For the past several years, it has seemed like local news was dying. Daily newspaper circulations have plummeted, as have ratings of local TV and radio news. But in an editorial in The Washington Post, Leonard Downey Jr., a professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State, argues that local news isn’t dying. It’s evolving. And he makes a pretty good case. (this article is free with sign in)
X, Formerly Twitter, Tests Charging New Users $1 to Tweet, Retweet – So, despite all the controversy and changes, you still use Twitter. You’re never going to call it X. But here’s a question. Will you still use it if you have to pay for it? Elon is betting you will. CNBC has the story.
An Old Rotary Phone Helps People Cope With Grief – An old rotary phone in Connecticut is literally helping people cope with grief. Connecticut Public Radio has this positive story. And this week we need a positive story. Give a listen to this touching 4-minute piece.
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Feed Your Head:
The 12 Best Keyboards for 2023
The No. 1 Phrase People Who Are Good at Small Talk Always use
Parent Group Texts Spiral Out of Control
An Obit Worth Reading:
‘Game-changing’ Publisher Steve Rubin Dies
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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.