The battle for truth is being redefined in real time. As AI enters newsrooms and independent journalism struggles, the way information is created, shared, and trusted is changing faster than ever. This month, our team read about the push for communicators to act as active guardians of credibility, whether by rejecting AI for a stance of “radical authenticity” or by optimizing content for the “machine audience.” Crucially, resilience demands that organizations back up their words with action, requiring swift accountability in a crisis and the support of deeply connected, high-trust teams to weather any storm.
PUBLIC RELATIONS
Independent newspapers disappear as private investment firms take over – Sara Fischer, Axios
“There is a lot of discussion around deepfakes and fake news permeating the digital landscape, but how does the decline of independent newspapers factor into this? According to this article, about 50 million Americans live with limited or no access to local news. Combined with the increased presence of AI, it will be our job as PR professionals to help maintain the ethics of a reliable, credible news source. By contributing to and collaborating with reliable news outlets, we help ensure that accurate, verified and contextualized information reaches audiences at a local and national level.” – Catherine Wycklendt
The great CCO migration: How companies are reimagining comms leadership – Chris Daniels, PR Week
“Among the usual reporting about comings and goings among corporate chief communications officers (CCO) is the terrible idea of companies using fractional CCOs. It’s bad enough when the function reports to anyone but the CEO or COO. But to have this crucial function performed on a part-time basis really demonstrates a lack of understanding of the importance of the role. Every organization needs a full-time, fully engaged, digital savvy CCO with either a direct reporting relationship or easy access to the CEO.” – Nick Kalm
For Prince Andrew, a Steady Fall From Grace Ends in a Hard Landing – Mark Landler, New York Times
“The British Royal Family is no stranger to crises but with Prince Andrew relinquishing his royal titles amid his association with the Epstein files, the royals made the necessary move to safeguard their reputation. By recognizing the reputational damage, the royals made a clear statement that no one is above accountability.” – Emily Schultz
Business Insider will start publishing stories by AI ‘author’– Taylor Herzlich, New York Post
“Business Insider is taking a big step into the AI era, announcing plans to start publishing some stories written by an artificial intelligence author called ‘Business Insider AI.’ According to the outlet, each piece will still be reviewed and edited by human journalists before going live. The move is one of the first of its kind from a major business publication and shows how newsrooms are testing ways to use AI tools while maintaining credibility and quality standards.” – Jenny Cummings
CRISIS COMMUNICATION
The Day Amazon Broke the Internet for Millions of Americans – Emil Lendof, The Wall Street Journal
“A disruption of this scale highlights a critical insight for the c-suite that’s easy to overlook. When your internet goes offline, does your team panic, or find connection elsewhere? Leaders who invest in cultivating employee relationships and trust while preparing for the inevitable glitch stood apart. Their people and systems found ways to connect in person or on calls, while others hit complete standstills – their messages buffering indefinitely in Outlook and Slack purgatory. The best leaders paid attention. Not just to how this disruption impacted their businesses, but how their people responded. Every leadership team should be asking, how did my team react? What can we learn from this? And mostly, how can we focus on establishing not just what to do when tech fails, but how to create deeply connected teams who can find each other and create solutions to weather the storm.” – Kate O’Neil
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION
Rivian Lays Off More Than 600 Workers Amid EV Pullback – Becky Peterson, The Wall Street Journal
“Rivian’s latest layoffs underscore how quickly market shifts can reshape communication strategies. As the company prepares for a new vehicle launch while cutting staff, consistent and transparent messaging will be important to reassure remaining employees and maintain consumer confidence.” – Emma Smits
Want to Get the Most Out of AI? Put People First. – Brian Elliot, Charter in partnership with Time
“New research reveals that employee-centric organizations see 92% higher awareness of AI strategy and 70% more enthusiasm for adoption, proving that employee communication can’t be overlooked in supporting AI success. For PR and communications professionals, this highlights a continued need to ensure internal audiences feel informed, valued, and confident enough to experiment with new technology. The organizations winning AI adoption aren’t issuing mandates; they’re building trust through context setting (the ‘why’), responsive feedback loops and leadership that listens first.” – Kristin Monroe
Walmart, Once a Byword for Low Pay, Becomes a Case Study in How to Treat Workers – Sarah Nassau, The Wall Street Journal
“This article recounts how Walmart’s 2015 decision to raise its starting wage, at the time the largest pay increase in U.S. retail history, initially caused a steep stock drop but ultimately reshaped its business success. That action fits right in the middle of a real shift in public sentiment around Walmart, and its approach to employees, over the last several decades. At the turn of the millennium, Walmart took a very strong stance against unionization and focused on low cost, and its reputation reflected that. Beginning in the late-2010s and into the 2020s, Walmart’s public reputation shifted from being criticized for union resistance and low pay to being cited as a case study in workforce investment and cultural transformation. It reinforces the value in a company’s holistic approach to pay, training, and advancement becoming the centerpiece of both press coverage and public perception efforts.” – Andrew Moyer
MARKETING & DIGITAL STRATEGY
In the age of AI, communicators have a new audience: Machines – Karlie Langton, National Retail Federation
“Communicators today aren’t just thinking about how people perceive their messages—we also must consider how machines do. AI assistants use large language models (LLMs) that pull from everything publicly available – press releases, blog posts, social media, reviews, earnings reports, and more. Everything a brand shares contributes to how AI understands and represents it. That means we need to think differently, but it’s also an exciting opportunity to lead and help our clients adapt and tell their stories in smarter, more strategic ways.” – Haley Hartmann
The hot new trend in marketing: hating on AI – Lara O’Reilly and Jordan Hart, Business Insider
“The decision by brands like Aerie and Polaroid to publicly reject generative AI in their creative campaigns is a strategic pivot toward radical authenticity. In a market increasingly saturated with ‘AI slop’ and generic visuals, these brands are doubling down on their core value propositions—Aerie’s commitment to ‘100% real’ bodies and Polaroid’s celebration of tangible, human experiences. This signals to consumers that transparency and human craft are premium assets, making realism the most valuable currency for building brand trust.” – Grace DuFour