This Week In PR | No. 5

Need a recap of this week's public relations happenings and current events? Well, you're in luck. Here's what happened this week in PR.

• In entertainment news, Laverne Cox became the first transgender woman nominated for an Emmy for her role in the Netflix breakout series Orange is the New Black. She has been recognized for her role as Sophia Burset, "an inmate who committed fraud in an attempt to pay for a sex change procedure." Note: Cox's identical twin brother played the role in the scenes prior to the character's surgery. That's pretty powerful. (TIME)
• There's a fine line between humor and professionalism on social media. However, the CIA seems to be dancing on the line when it comes to their Twitter account. In fact, their first tweet read, "We can neither confirm nor deny that this is our first tweet." While Twitter has become a major platform for creativity and humor, some think that certain organizations should abstain from participating in the trend and stick to more professional updates. What do you think? (PR Daily)
• The summer is a great time for vacationing and winding down, but if you're interested in still being stimulated occasionally, there are plenty of great opportunities nationwide for growth and networking. Here's a compiled list of seminars on social media, analytics, and more. (Mashable)
• Globally, issues in the Middle East continue despite President Obama's pleas for peace. The Palestinian death toll has risen to over 100 civilians today. Gaza militants have fired over 550 rockets, hit over 1,100 targets, and wounded close to 670 people. Their offensive tactic shows no sign of slowing down; unfortunately, it seems to be expanding. (Associated Press)
• ESPN Magazine's annual body issue is out and this time around, their cover athletes are of all shapes and sizes. We've become accustomed to seeing the covers of this issue graced by the most athletic and "physically fit" professionals, but this issue is more representative of all body types. I'd say that's a pretty good play on ESPN's part. (Huffington Post)

How to Become a News Junkie

We are supposed to live, breathe, eat, and sleep the news.  This can be tricky when you have a 9-5 workday, classes, or internships to balance and during your free time you probably don't want to crack open a newspaper or flip away from the Food Network.

The top reasons I've heard that people don't read the news are widespread:
"It's depressing."
"I don't have time."
"I don't see the point."

The fact is, as public relations professionals, we have to stay on top of the news.  We need to know what's going on in the world and how it could potentially affect our clients and ourselves.  That's the point.  We have to make time for the news, depressing or not.

They say it takes 21 days to form a habit.  So challenge yourself to read the newspaper each day for 21 days.  If you don't want to pay for a subscription you can always go online and browse around the hundreds of free articles on sites like www.philly.com.  Instead of spending endless minutes browsing Facebook and Twitter, spend it reading up on what's going on around you.

Being a news junkie certainly has its benefits:

• You'll have tons of current event conversation starters
• You'll gain knowledge and inspiration from stories you read
• You'll impress your coworkers, bosses, and clients with your news knowledge

How often do you read the news? Is it as crucial as everyone says? Tell us your thoughts!