This Week In PR | No. 4

It's Friday, which means it's time for your weekly roundup of public relations happenings and current events.

• In case you missed it a few weeks ago, FAFSA's Twitter account posted a meme from the hit movie Bridesmaids with the quote, "Help me I'm poor." Naturally, it was received with mixed reviews. While some took great offense, others thought the use of a popular meme was a great way to connect with FAFSA's main audience: young adults. Regardless, this week FAFSA tweeted out an apology explaining mocking people in need was never their intention. (PR Daily)
• The News of the World phone hacking scandal first surfaced back in 2011, but on Tuesday former head of News International Rebekah Brooks, her husband, and her personal assistant were acquitted of all charges. Most people found the verdict shocking since there seemed to be plenty of evidence against them and agree that even if Brooks had no knowledge of the phone tapping, that it's her role as head of the company to take responsibility for any short-comings. (Jezebel)
• It's no secret at this point that employers, internship directors and, well, anyone you would like to network with often check your social media profiles. However, now if you're selected for jury duty it's possible that the lawyers can take a look at your Facebook profile. Is this an invasion of privacy or simply a more efficient way to weed out any ineligible jurors with ties to the case? (Now This News)
• Recently, comedic duo Seth Rogen and James Franco released a trailer for their new movie "The Interview." However, the film which is a comedy about assassinating Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un was seen by North Korea as "an act of war" with promises of "merciless" retaliation if the film is released. Some wonder if there is any connection to North Korea launching three short-range projectiles earlier this week, if it was in response to growing tensions with South Korea, or if it's simply a regular test. (TIME)
• On a much lighter note, if you haven't already noticed there is something new on your Twitter timelines: GIFs! In a partnership with Giphy, a popular GIF site, users are now able to embed GIFs directly from their Giphy account or by tweeting the link to the GIF they want. As if picture and video tweet integration weren't enough, now you can enjoy looping animations over and over again, and people seem to be loving it! (Mashable)