After 18+ months it is pretty amazing to be face-to-face with my students. It’s exhausting but amazing.
This term, I’m teaching a PR writing class that includes a term-long blogging assignment. Students pick topics, set up blogs and prep to write between 10 and 14 posts between now and the first week of December. Each week, I find a handful of posts and news items from around the web that have caught my eye, made me think or that I think are worth a read for the students in my class. This is my first inspiration launchpad list — designed for students to use for inspiration on their own blogs to launch their own take on their own blogs.
Facebook to add new Instagram safety features for children | NPR — Too little, too late? Facebook is facing an onslaught of issues related to a whistleblower’s claims, including that it’s ignoring safety in favor of profits.
How The PR Industry Can Help Tackle Vaccine Hesitancy | Provoke Media — Some perspective on what the PR industry could offer public health communications. Let’s be honest, the communication so far hasn’t been great (appearing inconsistent, contradictory, etc.) and it’s just been compounded by politics. What do you think?
Richard Blumenthal’s finsta question to Facebook: Actually, it was good. | Slate — Politicians are notorious for asking tech people really (really) dumb questions. But Slate argues Senator Blumenthal’s line of questioning in this hearing was actually good — and important.
Black Hair, Red Carpet: How the Push for Representation Is Reshaping Beauty in Hollywood and Beyond | Vanity Fair — I love the focus on representation and how and why that matters. It has to be an intentional and thoughtful process. This is a little longer read, but for those interested in consumer-facing product PR, it’s important.
How wildlife sightings create community (Sightings) | High Country News – I grew up in a small town and I understand where the author is coming from. Relationships in small towns are the glue of life, but can you be connected while still remaining true to your values?
What Does It Actually Mean When a Company Says, “We Do Not Sell Your Data”? | The Markup — Frankly, not much. But this is a great read to get literate about your privacy online. How do you think this affects brands who “need” your data for marketing purposes?
The NFL’s Empathy Gap | The Ringer — Another good, long read about the empathy problems in the NFL. I remember watching the Aaron Rogers situation this summer and wondering why they weren’t communicating. Obviously relevant if you’re interested in sports, but a good read, regardless.
What we do and don’t know about kindness | BBC Future — Being kind makes us feel good. I love that people actively study kindness and give us important insights. What do you think? and how do the ideas about kindness apply to organizations?
Leadership Lessons from Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles | Black Enterprise — These two athletes have really lead the way in terms of showing that athletes can and should be taking care of their mental health. What can we learn from them?
OPINION: We need to think about college student hunger | Hechinger Report — Food insecurity is a tremendously important issue. Do you see ways for the UO, our community, organizations and students to address this? What kind of communication is needed?
