Richard Edelman kicked off PRSA-NY’s Nov. 15 Big Apple PR Awards (scroll down for pics posted Nov. 24 & full list of winners) in New York City by presenting the Daniel J. Edelman award to Bret Stephens, opinion columnist for the New York Times and Editor-in-Chief of Sapir.
This is the second year for the award, given to someone whom Edelman described as “displaying courage and a commitment to excellence and truth.” Stephens has previously worked as foreign-affairs columnist for The Wall Street Journal and as editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post.
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| Bret Stephens at PRSA-NY's Big Apple Awards Nov. 15 in New York. |
| photos: Puma Venu |
Edelman, CEO of the largest independent PR firm, noted how it’s only fitting that his father, a true “New York kid,” has the award in his name. A career in PR began after being drafted in 1941 and spending nights listening to Nazi broadcasts in Europe. The founder of Edelman in 1952 longed for a day job and his first employer’s take on him was, “hmm, psychological warfare, you look like you could do PR,” joked Edelman.
“In everything I’ve seen Richard do in his personal and professional life, it’s always straight, good and true,” Stephens began after Edelman’s introduction. The Edelman name is associated with the word trust, thanks to Edelman’s invaluable Trust Barometer, Stephens noted.
“Trust is important to our lives and it’s important to the lives of nations,” Stephens said. He continued that high-trust societies like Denmark or Israel flourish while low-trust societies like Lebanon or Brazil, sadly flounder.
Public trust in the news media is at an all-time low, Stephens lamented. But he pointed out that news media self-regard remains at a consistent high.
Exogenous reasons for the lowly reputation of media include the advent of cable news, spread of social media and the proliferation of disinformation as well as the general broader loss of trust in nearly every institution in American life, Stephens explained.
Stephens called on those who care about the health of the news media to heed the adage, “Physician heal thyself.”
For Stephens, members of the news media need to remember that they’re in “the humble but essential business of supplying reliable information and independent analysis to people who need it.” Lofty goals such as saving democracy or championing social justice are just grandiose causes that simply flatter vanity and obscure judgment and purpose.
Snarky posts on social media and slanted stories just undermine our own authority, Stephens said. He called for an end to the cult of celebrity in the news business.
For Stephens, there’s a “warm bath of intellectual conformity in too much of today’s mainstream media—that includes Fox News as much as MSNBC and all places in between.”
That is not to say Stephens doesn’t have plenty of biases of his own, but he couches this with the defense that he lays his cards on the table. “I don’t offer objectivity, but I try to offer independence, honesty and hopefully, sometimes, good judgment,” Stephens said.
Dovetailing back to his admiration of Edelman and the agency’s focus on trust he encouraged those at the awards not to be overwhelmed by the cliché that trust gained over many years can be lost in an instant. For Stephens, redeeming trust isn’t a hopeless pursuit, just “arduous and all the more essential.”
“More so than ever, a flourishing and free society needs a news media that understands it’s proper role and wins over and over, day after day, hour after hour, the public trust,” Stephens concluded.
INDIVIDUAL CHAPTER AWARDS
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| Carole Cone, Carole Cone on Purpose, accepts the The Barbara Way Hunter Trailblazer Award - Sponsored by Hunter |
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| Barbara Hunter video message to Big Apple crowd. |
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| Bret Stephens, Opinion Columnist at The New York Times, accepts Daniel J. Edelman New Yorker of the Year award from Richard Edelman. |
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| John Iwata, Yale School of Management, with Patrice Tanaka after accepting the The Harold Burson Award – Sponsored by BCW. |
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| Emily K. Graham, Chief Equity & Impact Officer, Omnicom, accepts PRSA-NY President’s Award. |
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| Patrice Tanaka, Founder & Chief Joy Officer, Joyful Planet, accepts PRSA-NY Excellence in Mentoring Award. |
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| Tom Coyne, Founder & CEO, Coyne PR, with wife and children after accepting John W. Hill award for lifetime achievement in PR sponsored by Hill and Knowlton. |
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| Tom Coyne and the gang tear it up at the after-party at Tao Downtown. |
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| Art Stevens, managing partner of The Stevens Group, with this year’s Art Stevens/CCNY/PRSA-NY annual scholarship recipient Francina Saint-Hilaire. The annual award is given to an undergraduate student at The College of the City of New York who majors in public relations. This year’s scholarship is the sixteenth such honor. Stevens is an alumnus of CCNY. |
CAMPAIGN & AGENCY AWARDS
Reputation & Brand Management Group
Reputation/Brand Management & Brand Engagement > A. Business
A Fair Shot with NIL Deals for NCAA Women - WINNER
Carmichael Lynch Relate | H&R Block
Integrated Communications > A. Consumer Products
Grape-Nuts Fueling Female Explorers to Reach New Heights - WINNER
HUNTER | Grape-Nuts
Alka-Seltzer and T-Pain Help Hangover Symptoms Fizzle - HONORABLE MENTION
Coyne Public Relations | Bayer Consumer Health – Alka-Seltzer
Integrated Communications > B. Consumer Services
A Fair Shot with NIL Deals for NCAA Women - WINNER
Carmichael Lynch Relate | H&R Block
SPOTLIGHT: Brand Engagement
The Boundless Bucket List Contest, Empowered by the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless®
Credit Card from Chase - WINNER
Fleishman Hillard | Chase & Marriot Bonvoy
Thailand Becomes Filming Location for White Lotus Season 3 - HONORABLE MENTION
RHC | Tourism Authority of Thailand
EVENTS & OBSERVANCES GROUP
Events & Observances (1-7 Days) > A. Business
Roll Home in Style - WINNER
HUNTER | King’s Hawaiian
Events & Observances (1-7 Days) > C. Campaigns with Budgets of $200,000 or Less
Campaign Smashing Records with iovera° at the National Senior Games - WINNER
Coyne Public Relations | Iovera°
Events & Observances (More Than 7 Days) > A. Business
Ollie’s Celebrates its 40th Anniversary in a BIG Way - WINNER
Coyne Public Relations | Ollie’s
PUBLIC SERVICE / PUBLIC AFFAIRS GROUP
Public Service > A. Business
Cause For Alarm - WINNER
Citizen Relations | Kidde
Anti Texas Two-Step Asbestos Litigation - HONORABLE MENTION
The TASC Group | Asbestos Litigation Subcommittee
Public Affairs > B. Campaigns with Budgets of $200,000 or Less
Desegregating the Salon - WINNER
RED PR | Aveda Arts & Sciences Institutes
CONSUMER MARKETING GROUP
Marketing Consumer Products > A. Healthcare
Freezing Out the Competition with iovera° - WINNER
Coyne Public Relations | Iovera°
Honoring Senior Athletes at the 2022 National Senior Games:
The Humana Game Changers - HONORABLE MENTION
Coyne Public Relations | Humana
Marketing Consumer Products > C. Beauty
CeraVe Enlists Dermfluencers and TikTok Titans to Show
Consumers How to #CleanseLikeaDerm - WINNER
Coyne Public Relations | CeraVe
Marketing Consumer Products > F. Packaged Goods
Roll Home in Style - WINNER
HUNTER | King’s Hawaiian
Marketing Consumer Products > H. Other
The One Above All Else: Launching the Highest Residence in the World - WINNER
AGEAN | SERHANT.
Marketing Consumer Products > I. Campaigns with Budgets of $200,000 or Less
The One Above All Else: Launching the Highest Residence in the World - WINNER
AGEAN | SERHANT.
Marketing Consumer Services > A. Healthcare
Providing Health for Healthcare Workers - APN x Diffusion - WINNER
Diffusion PR | APN
Marketing Consumer Services > C. Finance
A Fair Shot with NIL deals for NCAA Women - WINNER
Carmichael Lynch Relate | H&R Block
Best Use of Spokesperson/Influencer > A. Healthcare
Neuriva Food for Thought - WINNER
HUNTER | Neuriva
Best Use of Spokesperson/Influencer > C. Finance
Batter Up For The Boys & Girls Clubs of LA Harbor - WINNER
360PR+ | loamDepot
Best Use of Spokesperson/Influencer > I. Other
CeraVe Enlists Dermfluencers and TikTok Titans to Show
Consumers How to #CleanseLikeaDerm - WINNER
Coyne Public Relations | CeraVe
Onesies® 40th Anniversary - HONORABLE MENTION
360PR+ | Gerber Childswear
Best Use of Owned Social Media > C. Finance
A Fair Shot with NIL deals for NCAA Women - WINNER
Carmichael Lynch Relate | H&R Block
Best Use of Owned Social Media > I. Other
Doja introduces Jibble - WINNER
Harman International Industries | JBL
BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS GROUP
Marketing Business-to-Business > D. Other
Breaking down Mental Health Barriers - Diffusion x Wysa - WINNER
Diffusion PR | Wysa
TARGETED MARKETING GROUP
Multicultural Public Relations > A. Targeted Marketing: Black Audiences
Cause For Alarm - WINNER
Citizen Relations | Kidde
CÎROC Vodka Celebrates Black Excellence in Sports Media
with #CIROCStands Platform During Super Bowl LVII - HONORABLE MENTION
HUNTER | CÎROC
Multicultural Public Relations > A. Targeted Marketing: Black Audiences
Good Green Grant Program Multicultural Outreach Campaign - WINNER
Thought Bubble Communications | Good Green
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION & BELONGING GROUP
Mental Health & Wellness in the Workplace > C. Campaigns with Budgets of $200,000 or Less
‘The Truth Is’ Influencer Campaign - WINNER
360PR+ | Tommee Tippee
The Ally Award
Desegregating the Salon - WINNER
RED PR | Aveda Arts & Sciences Institutes
MEDIA RELATIONS & CONTENT MARKETING GROUP
SPOTLIGHT: Video > A. Video for Broadcast: Media Tour or B-Roll
You Don’t Need Two Kidneys to Climb Mount Kilimanjaro - WINNER
NewYork-Presbyterian
Using Art to Heal – HONORABLE MENTION
NewYork-Presbyterian
SPOTLIGHT: Video > E. Live Web Event
Frigo Cheese Heads Encourages Tweens to Embrace Creative Snacking - WINNER
Carmichael Lynch Relate | Saputo Dairy USA Frigo Cheese Heads
Ringing in Spring with Ferry-Morse’s First Annual Garden Get-Together - HONORABLE MENTION
360PR+ | Ferry-Morse
SPOTLIGHT: Experiential Marketing
Ringing in Spring with Ferry-Morse’s First Annual Garden Get-Together - WINNER
360PR+ | Ferry-Morse
SPOTLIGHT: Media Relations > A. Cross Platform
The One Above All Else: Launching the Highest Residence in the World - WINNER
AGEAN | SERHANT.
SPOTLIGHT: Media Relations > C. Online
A Hot Brand In A Small Sector, Chili Piper Makes Its Mark - WINNER
Crenshaw Communications | Chili Piper
International Delight Launch FRIENDS Manhattan Hazelnut Mocha Creamer - HONORABLE MENTION
HUNTER | International Delight
SPOTLIGHT: Media Relations > D. Broadcast
WaveCel Revolutionizes Workplace Safety with First-Of-Its-Kind Hard Hat Redesign in 50+ Years - WINNER
360PR+ | WaveCel
BEST OF AWARDS
Best use of Research, Measurement and Evaluation
Breaking down Mental Health Barriers - Diffusion & Wysa
DIFFUSION PR | WYSA
Best Business or Campaign Outcome
The One Above All Else: Launching the Highest Residence in the World
AGEAN | SERHANT.
Best Use of the Best
A Fair Shot with NIL Deals for NCAA Women
Carmichael Lynch Relate | H&R Block
15 UNDER 35 RECIPIENTS
Justin Cotton, Senior Vice President, GCI Health
Monica Earle, Senior Public Relations Manager, Duolingo
Elyse Galloway, Senior Vice President, Edelman
Lara Highfill, Senior Influencer Strategist, HUNTER
Sarah Jackson, Senior Director of Communications, Institute for Public Relations
Corey Lacey, Content Strategist, HUNTER
Jennifer Lawrence, Account Supervisor, The TASC Group
Quintin Maidment, Vice President, The Bliss Group
Megan Miller, Account Director, 360PR+
Alexa Nikiforou, Director, Media, Lippe Taylor
Patrice Rajacic, Senior Vice President, Marino
Jennifer Rosenthal, Head of Communications & Public Affairs, Grayscale
Christina Sebastiao, Senior Account Supervisor, Edelman
Kristin Sockett, Group Senior Vice President, Curation Communications
Dima Vasilenco, Founder & CEO, Good Advice
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The majority of news articles are read within the first three days of publication, according to a recent report.
The Los Angeles Times gives pink slips to 115 people or 20 percent of its newsroom staff... TIME is also laying off about 30 employees, which is approximately 15 percent of its editorial staff... The Baltimore Banner, which was launched by Stewart Bainum in 2022 after he failed to buy the Baltimore Sun, added 500 subscribers per day in the three days following Sinclair Broadcast Group's deal to purchase the Sun.
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