The PR Whisperer

Author, Crisis Communications Expert, Strategic Communications Advisor

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The Underbelly of Media Coverage

By Jennifer R. Farmer Many people want and need media coverage, which can make it easier for funders and donors to find and invest in an entity’s work. Coverage can also lend credibility to your organization, campaign, or initiative. For instance, when you want to learn about a company or organization, you will likely Google …

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Quick. What You Do Now Matters.

By Jennifer R. Farmer For years, the media has been in a free fall. We’ve seen newsrooms consolidate departments and functions, shed positions, and cease operations. This trend has continued through 2022, as CNN recently announced layoffs impacting 400 of its 4,400 workforces. Gannett, which owns hundreds of local papers in communities across the country, …

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This Is the Time Leaders Are Most Likely to Make an Embarrassing PR Mistake

OK, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Do you know the times people are most likely to make an embarrassing or costly PR mistake? It is when they think they have it all figured out. It is when they cease to approach media or public engagements from the lens of, “Is …

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The Media Is Still Contracting: Here’s What Nonprofits and Brands Can Do

By Jennifer R. Farmer This is feeling like a yearly column. At the end of 2019, I wrote an article titled, “The Media is Contracting: Now What?” In 2020, I updated the article because, you guessed it, the media was still contracting. That year, I wrote that there were more jobs lost in the media …

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Resistance to Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson About Preservation of the Status Quo

As I watched the first few days of confirmation hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who President Joe Biden nominated to the United States Supreme Court, I am reminded that even with impeccable credentials, Black women still face resistance. Brown Jackson has several clerkships, judicial appointments, and positions to envy under her belt. Her confirmation …

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Celebrating the One Year Anniversary of “First and Only: A Black Woman’s Guide to Thriving at Work and in Life”

On Feb. 9, 2022, I celebrated the one-year anniversary of my book, “First and Only: A Black Woman’s Guide to Thriving at Work and in Life.” Published by Broadleaf Books in 2021, “First and Only” honors the uniqueness of Black women and speaks to the racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia Black women experience at work …

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Marketing Yourself Is Part of the Work

This past year has been filled with many opportunities to learn and numerous invitations to reconsider how I have approached various issues in my personal and professional life. I’m not going to lie, some of what I learned was downright painful. But when I took a step back and really reflected on the progress and …

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How to Be a Better Colleague to Black Women in 2022

Black women experience the world of work very differently from others. Many of us were advised as youth that we have to work twice as hard to be perceived as half as skilled. We come into workplaces questioning whether we will be accepted and whether the work environment will be safe, inclusive, and welcoming. We …

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4 Media Trends for 2022

You need more than a noble mission to garner media attention. As the media landscape changes and the 24/7 news cycle impacts content creation, leaders must work harder to garner publicity for their work. As we enter 2022, here are several things you should do to increase media coverage. Building your email list. Every event, …

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Despite Public Support for Social Justice, Many Organizations Are Not Naturally Benevolent

We must not be pacified by people and organizations who utter the rhetoric of justice without the history to back it up. When I learned about Times Up involvement in former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s sexual harassment allegations, I was disappointed but not surprised. Few people or institutions are naturally benevolent. Each day we …

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