Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Bob Pickard @pr.bobpickard.com · 1h

"China’s narratives of partnership will remain hollow until it ceases its threats against Taiwan and others and addresses the human rights abuses within its own borders. Only by confronting these contradictions can we build a future grounded in genuine peace, justice, and mutual respect."

euobserver — EU news that matters @euobserver.com · 2h

China's PR offensive in Europe rings hollow

The Chinese government has issued statements about the importance of peace and positioned itself as a broker between Russia and Ukraine, the Myanmar junta and armed groups, and Iran and Saudi Arabia. But at the same time, they have allowed the export of arms to Sudan and Myanmar and of censorship and surveillance technologies to Pakistan, Kazakhstan and the Solomon Islands.

euobserver.com

Reposted by Bob Pickard

Bruce D. Sanders, PhD @rimtailing.bsky.social · 1d

Which side prevails in the U.S. government shutdown public relations battle depends to a significant degree on how well each side successfully frames their stakeholders’ sacrifices as sacred. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2023/03/sacr...

Sacralize to Persuade

Sacred nonreligious items and ideas are valued in ways resembling the valuing of religious artifacts and beliefs. The consumer considers sac...

rimtailing.blogspot.com

1 1

Bob Pickard @pr.bobpickard.com · 1d

"Direct communication from CEOs builds more trust"

This is actually not new, but every time I see a story like this with data that might help coax reluctant executive clients into proactive leadership communication, I like to share it for the purposes of inspiration.

www.axios.com/2025/10/02/t...

Direct communication from CEOs builds more trust, per new survey

A new survey shows voters prefer hearing directly from business leaders and employees, not spokespeople or brand accounts.

www.axios.com

Reposted by Bob Pickard

Harry McCracken @harrymccracken.com · 2d

This company has been a blight on the profession of public relations forever, and is apparently using AI to scale up its awfulness.

(It’s not just UK media they bombard, though I’ve long tried to block all contact from them.) pressgazette.co.uk/news/automat...

Automated PR tool is bombarding UK media with AI-generated content - Press Gazette

'Olivia Brown' reads websites, writes press releases then 'relentlessly' sends emails.

pressgazette.co.uk

1 3

Bob Pickard @pr.bobpickard.com · 2d

An article about President Eisenhower's press secretary, James Hagerty, who set the stage for modern presidential media coverage.
www.college.columbia.edu/cct/issue/fa...

The PR Genius of the White House

James Hagerty CC 1934 set the stage for modern presidential media coverage

www.college.columbia.edu

1 1

Bob Pickard @pr.bobpickard.com · 2d

"Canadians Firmly Reject Idea of American Statehood"
canadianpolling.substack.com/p/canadians-...

1 3

Reposted by Bob Pickard

Elisabeth Van Every @e-van-every.bsky.social · 2d

Yep. We're at 20-plus years of social media. It's a massively important part of marketing & public relations, and it requires a broad range of skills. Often it's a team of people. The "intern" thing hasn't been true for a long time, if it ever was.
--someone who was part of a social media team

Matt Zoller Seitz @mattzollerseitz.bsky.social · 2d

I wanna say a word here on behalf of the people who run social media accounts for institutions, companies & famous people. By and large, they are not "interns." The bigger the client, the more they get paid, because managing the waves of public opinion is tricky, and the amount of abuse is unending.

1 4

Bob Pickard @pr.bobpickard.com · 2d

Pulling the plug on an interview in progress is seldom a good look. In this case, the impression left concerning temperament is not ideal. Petulance doesn’t promote a positive image.

Yashar Ali 🐘 @yasharali.bsky.social · 2d

Someone who used to work with Katie Porter sent me this clip from a train wreck interview with her and said “now imagine what she’s like when there aren’t cameras around.”

1

Reposted by Bob Pickard

LA Legault ⚜️ @lalegault.bsky.social · 3d

98% of modern politics regardless of the country is performative public relations that people devour like beer commercials.

1 5 10

Reposted by Bob Pickard

Amit Goldenberg @amit-goldenberg.bsky.social · Jan 20

The best examples of emotional contagion is infants starting to cry when they hear another person crying (knowing nothing about the context). But could it simply be an aversion to noise?
And is contagion stronger for neg emotions than for pos emotions?
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Contagious Crying Revisited: A Cross‐Cultural Investigation Into Infant Emotion Contagion Using Infrared Thermal Imaging

Contagious crying in infants has been considered an early marker of their sensitivity to others’ emotions, a form of emotional contagion, and an early basis for empathy. However, it remains unclear w...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

1 4 12

Bob Pickard @pr.bobpickard.com · 2d

Smoky clouds incoming

4

Bob Pickard @pr.bobpickard.com · 3d

Dome Tower (1977)

Bob Pickard @pr.bobpickard.com · 3d

"Karoline Leavitt is one of the most trustworthy human beings I know"
=
Pam Bondi must therefore be one of the least trustworthy human beings we know

3

Bob Pickard @pr.bobpickard.com · 3d

"Karoline Leavitt is one of the most trustworthy human beings I know"
=
Pam Bondi must therefore be one of the least trustworthy human beings we know

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 3d

Bondi: "Karoline Leavitt is one of the most trustworthy human being I know. And Sen. Schiff, if you worked for me, you would've been fired."

1

Bob Pickard @pr.bobpickard.com · 3d

I don't know. This was also the same era as the Space Needle tower in Seattle.

1

Bob Pickard @pr.bobpickard.com · 3d

Just Calgary (1968) and Toronto (1976)

1 1

Bob Pickard @pr.bobpickard.com · 3d

The Palliser Hotel (1914)
The Calgary Tower (1968)

1 1 3

Bob Pickard @pr.bobpickard.com · 5d

The door to the ‘Communication Room’ is locked tight.

1 4

Bob Pickard @pr.bobpickard.com · 7d

Eighth Avenue Place (2011)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eighth_...

Reposted by Bob Pickard

Chris Udy @espy-by-sea.bsky.social · 8d

“Climate misinformation is spreading wildly – aided by public relations firms – even as climate change worsens and the risks mount”

theconversation.com/pr-firms-are...

PR firms are spreading climate misinformation on behalf of fossil fuel companies. Could Australia stop them?

This week, Australian policymakers heard about the real and growing problem of climate misinformation. Stopping it would mean regulating the PR industry.

theconversation.com

1 2

Bob Pickard @pr.bobpickard.com · 8d

www.bbc.com/culture/arti...

'Mr Baird was so excited that words didn't come': The office worker who became the first person ever to appear on TV

On 2 October 1925, John Logie Baird transmitted a moving image of a human face. Forty years later, the world's first television star told the BBC about that dramatic moment.

www.bbc.com

1

Bob Pickard @pr.bobpickard.com · 8d

Today is the 100th anniversary of the first transmission of a recognizable moving human face on television (October 2, 1925). 📺

7 17 100

Bob Pickard @pr.bobpickard.com · 8d

Bow Valley Square (1982)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bow_Val...

Reposted by Bob Pickard

PBS News @pbsnews.org · 9d

Today is our first day without federal funding. Our commitment to providing trusted, objective journalism hasn't wavered.

For 50 years, PBS News has helped you understand the world and make informed decisions. This mission drives our work every day, and your support of PBS News makes it possible.

47 940 2.4K

Reposted by Bob Pickard

George Conway 👊🇺🇸🔥 @gtconway.bsky.social · 10d

This current American presidential administration is run by people who are quite obviously mentally ill, and we need to start talking about that.

1.6K 7.9K 32K