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The Flack™ highlights changes and trends in the news, examples of communications practices, and content we at BYRNE PR thought you might find useful.

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.

flack

noun

: one who provides publicity

flack

verb

: to act as a press agent or promoter for something

The Flack
May 19, 2023

The Flack™ for Friday, May 19, 2023

What is Bluesky, And Why is Everyone on Twitter Talking About It?; Why the New CEO is Essential to Twitter’s Future; Workers Now Spend Two Full Days a Week on Email and in Meetings; ‘Like, Literally, Dude’ Review: Learning to…
May 5, 2023 in The Flack

The Flack™ for Friday, May 5, 2023

‘The Godfather of A.I.’ Leaves Google and Warns of Danger Ahead; Southwest Airlines is Back in (nearly) Everyone’s Good Graces. Here are 6 Takeaways for Leaders; A Plan for Your Digital Life After Death; Jack Dorsey Has a Lot to…
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April 21, 2023 in The Flack

The Flack™ for Friday, April 21, 2023

This Private Equity Firm is the Biggest Winner in the Dominion-Fox News Settlement; How Elon Musk Is Changing the Twitter Experience; From the ‘Shoe Phone’ to the Smartphone; Being Funny Can Pay Off More for Women Than Men
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April 7, 2023 in The Flack

The Flack™ for Friday, April 7, 2023

Bidens Clarify National Champ LSU’s White House Invitation; The Contradictions of Sam Altman, AI Crusader; Tech Layoffs as Told By CEOs in 48 All-Staff Memos; School District Mission Statements Highlight a Partisan Divide Over Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in K-12…
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March 24, 2023 in The Flack

The Flack™ for Friday, March 24, 2023

Audubon Society Won’t Change Name, Despite Namesake’s Racism; Experts Say Attacks on Free Speech Are Rising Across the U.S.; PR Lessons From Professional Football’s Response to Damar Hamlin’s Injury; What the Dominion Lawsuit Reveals About the Future of Fox News;…
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March 10, 2023 in The Flack

The Flack™ for Friday, March 10, 2023

Prepare for the Textpocalypse; In Eastern Ohio, Crisis Communications Are Off the Rails; Why the Floppy Disk Just Won’t Die; When You Bare Your Soul in a Text and the Response Is a Thumbs-Up; U.S. News Escalates Battle Over Rankings,…
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February 24, 2023 in The Flack

The Flack™ for Friday, February 24, 2023

Risa Heller is a Crisis-Communications Warrior for Bad Press; Roald Dahl Publisher Edits ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ to Cut the Word ‘Fat’ for ‘Inclusion and Accessibility’; Bring Back Objective Journalism; Do Trigger Warnings Help or Hurt Students?
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February 10, 2023 in The Flack

The Flack™ for Friday, February 10, 2023

Microsoft and Google Enlist Artificial Intelligence to Heat up Search Rivalry; The Blurred Lines Between Goldman C.E.O.'s Day Job and His DJ Gig; The CEO Who Quoted Martin Luther King Jr. in Her Layoff Email Apologizes to Staff; A Newspaper…
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January 27, 2023 in The Flack

The Flack™ for Friday, January 27, 2023

There’s No Quick Fix for Social Media; New Podcast Creation Has Fallen Off a Cliff; Clothes Make the Con Man; The Shape of a Spectacular Speech; Alarmed by A.I. Chatbots, Universities Start Revamping How They Teach
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January 13, 2023 in The Flack

The Flack™ for Friday, January 13, 2022

The Sports Scandal Almost Nobody Is Talking About; Is Channel 5 the Future of News?; What Happened When the Olive-Oil Startup Apologized; From Elon Musk to Drake, Celebrity Nightstand Photos Are Causing a Stir; Wordle Editor Tracy Bennett Reveals What…
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January 9, 2023 in The Flack

The Flack™ for Friday, December 30, 2022

Crisis Management Lessons From Southwest Airlines’ Meltdown; Barnes & Noble Store Expansion Leads Big-Box Real-Estate Revival in 2023; The Sneaky Economics of Ticketmaster; How Frighteningly Strong Meth Has Supercharged Homelessness; 'Can I Go Back to My Regular Job?' Sports Anchor…
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January 9, 2023 in The Flack

The Flack™ for Friday, December 16, 2022

All They Want For Christmas Is to Stop That Mariah Carey Song; A Psychologist Spent Five Years Studying World Cup Penalty Shootouts; Curse Words Have Something in Common Around the World (We Swear); How a Blank Piece of Paper Became…
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December 2, 2022 in The Flack

The Flack™ for Friday, December 2, 2022

“I’ve Had a Bad Month.” Sam Bankman-Fried Is Challenged on the Collapse of FTX; Taylor Swift And Ticketmaster Are Providing Crisis Response Lessons For Business Leaders; Can’t Hear What Actors Are Saying on TV? It’s Not You, Probably; The Shadow…
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