"Truth in Communications" was the theme of Communications Week, which ran Oct. 16-20 in New York.
From the ever-present concept of fake news to the ins and outs of influencer marketing to the new technological tools that let PR and media professionals monitor and measure a whole range of new insights, the panels covered many of the hot-button topics facing the PR industry today.
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L-R: Michael Kaminer, Katie Creaser, Siobhan Aalders, Damaso Reyes and Day Linh Tu at a panel discussing fake news.A “Fake News, Emerging Tech and Reputation as Currency,” panel moderated by Michael Kaminer of the New York Observer discussed the question of branded content and its validity.
"The longstanding media outlets we have loved for years are continuing to produce great journalism,” said Katie Creaser, VP at Affect PR. “As PR people, we need to be working with journalists who are writing genuine quality content, rather than just Buzzfeed-style news."
Joanne Lipman hosted a panel called “The Clicks Are In,” that asked if media brands should focus their attention on tending to their existing audiences instead of pandering in an attempt to broaden their scope.
A session dubbed "Leveraging Influencer Marketing While Maintaining Transparency and Authenticity" focused on how to avoid the potential pitfalls of using influencers to promote products. "Make sure influencers are authentic, rather than just taking the check,” said Armando Triana, director of social media at Coyne PR. “You want them to be selective about who they work with and that they’re choosing the brand because it’s one they’re genuinely interested in.”
Tiffany Guarnaccia, CEO of Kite Hill PR and founder/organizer of Communications Week, said her main takeaway from the event is “that we have a shared responsibility to fix fake news. Everyone has a personal ethical responsibility in terms of how they choose to behave on the web, and ultimately this will dictate the sort of society we end up living in many years from now.”
Trump Media and Technology Group Corp. has replaced CEO and former California Congressman Devin Nunes with Kevin McGurn, a seasoned media sales executive.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is being bought by the Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism, a nonprofit that is the parent organization of the Baltimore Banner... The British Broadcasting Corporation is axing approximately 2,000 jobs, about 10 percent of its work force... Snap, the company behind Snapchat, is also succumbing to layoff fever, announcing plans to lay off 16 percent of its employees, about 1,000 people.
CBS News Radio will go off the air on May 22, part of the axe-swinging managerial plan put into play by CBS editor-in-chief Bari Weiss... The Economist, which was first published in 1843, is changing hands. Canadian billionaire Stephen Smith has agreed to acquire a 26.9 percent stake in the publication from Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild, her family and family foundation... Nexstar Media Group says it has closed its acquisition of TEGNA, the broadcast, digital media and marketing services company that was formed in 2015, when the Gannett Company split into two publicly traded companies.
USA TODAY brings on Jamie Stockwell as VP of news, effective March 30. Stockwell was most recently deputy managing editor of news for the Washington Post... YouTube expands its likeness detection capabilities to a pilot group of government officials, journalists and political candidates... The AP Fund for Journalism adds 50 news organizations to its local news program, bringing the total number of participating newsrooms to 100. 
Versant Media Group, the NBCUniversal cable TV spin-off, today reported its first financial results as 2025 revenues dipped 5.3 percent to $6.7B and standalone EBITDA dropped 9.1 percent to $2.2B.
