This week in PR (12 January)

About the author

Richard Bailey Hon FCIPR is editor of PR Academy's PR Place Insights. He has taught and assessed undergraduate, postgraduate and professional students.

Reflect and look (@marcelkl on Instagram)
Reflect and look (@marcelkl on Instagram)

News in brief

  • The CIPR and PRCA have mounted a robust defence of public sector comms following a critical story in the Sun (also see Amanda Coleman’s blogged response below).
  • Gender pay reporting: This was already set to be a running theme this year, with larger companies required to report on their gender pay gap, but Carrie Gracies resignation as the BBC’s China editor suddenly makes this issue headline news.
  • The PRCA has joined Euprera and will be represented by Sue Wolstenholme.
  • Eight days on from his controversial appointment to the Office for Students (the new regulatory body for Higher Education), Toby Young has resigned.
  • The Local Government Association has published results of its October 2017 survey of heads of communication (pdf). ’62 per cent of Heads of Communications identified digital skills as a priority area of professional development for their communications team over the next 12 months, other areas identified were video skills (56 per cent) and evaluation and insight (48 per cent).’
  • Elizabeth Bananuka’s new initiative BME PR Pros is collaborating with PR Week to promote a  mentoring scheme open to UK-based comms professionals from an ethnic minority background.

Calendar

Pick of the posts

These are the editor’s pick of posts about public relations this week. Recommendations are welcome to [email protected]

#prstudent #bestPRblogs

Here’s a very useful resource for PR students and graduates:

And here’s our pick of the best posts by those studying public relations and/or aspiring to work in PR.

  • Kirsty Wallace (Ulster, 4): Uni Today, Gone to Morrow | My PR Placement Experience (12 January)
    ‘Employers turned me down and I finished as the highest scoring placement student across the PR and CAM courses, so don’t get down if someone doesn’t want you.’
  • Paula McKay (Ulster, 4): A PR student’s take on Northern Ireland’s murals (11 January)
    ‘As a PR student, I see the original and most famous murals as unique forms of political propaganda. During the Troubles these detailed depictions told their neighbours what the newspapers wouldn’t.’
  • Aoibheann McCormack (Liverpool John Moores, 3): When you are a PR undergraduate on a Non-PR placement (9 January)
    ‘I appreciate the necessity for Public Relations in an innovative and strong business like the one I am part of – I want to work in PR but not PR as many know it…’
  • Chloe Campbell (Ulster, 4): ‘The Final Hour’ – a step too far for Northern Ireland? (9 January)
    ‘A Titanic themed ‘escape room’ game will see “teams of up to 6 given an hour to try escape a simulation of the stricken liner.”
  • Niall Byrne (Ulster, 4): Hello? Stormont, are you there? (8 January)
    ‘Why on earth is it ok for politicians (who are supposed to be representing us) to do nothing and still get paid?’
  • Orlagh Shanks (Liverpool John Moores, 3): 2018: New Year, New Goals (8 January)
    ‘I’m very concerned that no other years will ever live up to 2017 but I am only 20 years of age, so I’m sure something spectacular will happen in the future.’