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| Kai Sharpless |
Amid the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, PRSA's ICON conference in Wash., D.C., Oct. 28-30 featured a collection of panels exploring the intersection of political communication and PR from a variety of angles, navigating how practitioners can rebuild trust and uphold transparency in an increasingly polarized climate.
PR is story telling at its core, whether you’re shaping a brand’s reputation, managing a crisis or fostering trust between institutions and the public.
"If you have ten messages, you have no message" noted Robyn Patterson, former Assistant Press Secretary of the White House, serving as an advisor to the Press Office and a spokesperson for the Biden-Harris administration.
Patterson’s info session highlighted the importance of sticking to your message and values when working to build trust with your audience. Morals and values have become increasingly important in both the federal and corporate leadership spaces, where the general public and employees have truly begun to utilize them as a temperature check for organizations, she explained.
The ripple effects of an inadequate message sourced from fluctuating principles, especially in a PR crisis, is no longer a mere difference of opinion, but a threat to credibility, trust and the very foundation of public confidence in an organization’s integrity.
The landscape of public engagement has transformed greatly over the past year, particularly with Gen-Z who represent current and future voters, and leaders of our country.
A research study presented by Bill Imada of IW group; Michael Cherenson APR, Fellow PRSA of SCG Advertising; Anthony D’Angelo of Syracuse University; Jon Goldberg of Reputation Architects; and Mike Kuczkowski of Orangefiery revealed the contemporary status of civility perception among Gen-Z.
Findings showed only 26% of the 3,000 surveyed individuals believe America is "civil." Responses for what has driven the decline in civility named digital aggression through social media (28%), political polarization (21%) and the media’s role in amplifying outrage (13%) as significant factors.
PR professionals have a unique opportunity to transform this perception -– there can no longer prevail a culture of "telling and selling" narratives in strategic communications, explained D’Angelo. He stressed that audiences want to be "engaged not told, served, not sold."
It is time for communications professionals to adapt to this new landscape, shaped by political implications from the top down, D'Angelo concluded.
Cherenson left the communications professionals in the room to ask the field “who are we, and what do we want to be when we grow up?”
What happens when communications professionals are no longer in government?
According to The Partnership for Public Service, a non-profit nonpartisan organization that strives to build a better government and stronger democracy, over 211,000 civil servants have left the workforce as of October 2025, due to workforce reductions.
Within this count included communications professionals Cherie Duvall-Jones and Lori MacLennan, former U.S. Food & Drug Administration employees, alongside Kanika M. Watson and Rashanda Webber, former U.S. Department of Health and Human Services employees. Their panel shared experiences of being let go from impactful federal roles earlier this year, and how they’ve since reinvented their career goals.
While some of the panelists saw the writing on the wall months in advance, others had not prepared for such an abrupt ending to a career they’d dedicated their lives to: “[I] lost my platform…but not my voice” shared Jones.
While these valuable assets to our government have been redirected to forge a new path, there remains a gaping hole in the future of communications and public trust in institutions who have for decades protected and served the American people.
The mechanics of government are a model for corporate organizations, noted Webber. "What happens at the top, will trickle to the bottom,” Webber said. This is seen increasingly over the past year with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and other specialized departments being reorganized – or in some cases eliminated, she noted.
With this downstream effect, leaders in communications must clearly understand when to speak up, and how to protect their organizations from eroding public trust –- advocating responsibly in the face of social and political injustice while safeguarding their teams from reductions.
In a Corporate Social Responsibility info session, Goldberg clearly outlined seven questions companies must ask themselves when pressure on leaders to take a stance on divisive social issues can lead to solid value messaging, or damaging public backlash. The key factors are whether you can stomach potential consequences and if your response aligns with your organization's mission.
Where To Go from Here
If there is one bottom line shared across professional sectors, it is that organizations cannot run without effective communication strategies orchestrated by communications professionals.
Our current landscape is characterized by misinformation, disinformation and all too often entertaining clickbait commentary and short-term solutions. Such an environment requires constant assurance that an organization's initiatives align with the core mission.
The notion of shared understandings remains the golden rule –- publics want to be heard, informed and above all, ensured of transparency.
As conveyed by Steven Kelly, former Chief Speechwriter to Vice President Kamala Harris, jargon is the one predator of communicators.
Kelly stressed that concise, clear messaging to respect your audience’s attention while you have it is “good manners.” If you’re going to talk to your audience, talk to your audience, Kelly concluded.
The impact of the shutdown remains unclear, but associations like PRSA are vital in helping communicators navigate today’s complex landscape.
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Kai Sharpless is a third-year Political Communications student in the Honors College at George Mason University and Co-Treasurer of her university's PRSSA chapter.
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