Initially, I created this website to support the public relations courses I taught at Northern Kentucky University, but, now that I've retired, I'm making it available, free of charge, to all public relations students and PR practitioners who may find it useful, especially those seeking professional accreditation. The cornerstone of the site remains my Online Readings in Public Relations which now include more than 100 textbook-style articles, how-to-do-it tipsheets, and fill-in-the-blank templates for public relations planning and project completion.

List of schools & organizations using this website.

Emeritus Professor Michael Turney, Ph.D., ABC

Printed crisis plans are still useful.

I rarely question Institute for Crisis Management advice, but I was troubled by one recent comment.

Its August e-mail declared: "Paper Crisis Plans are Obsolete" implying that digital plans are better now that "fast-moving global enterprises and unprecedented threats of the 24/7 news cycle and social media have made paper-only plans less effective."

True, for revising and updating a plan; but not necessarily for using one during a crisis. That's because many crises include power outages and/or network failures and slow downs that can keep you from accessing your plan, let alone using it.

However, if you remember to have a paper plan nearby, it won't ever be inaccessible or subject to slow downs. Maybe, what you should do is keep your crisis plan in your computer but occasionally print out three up to date back-up copies, one for your office, one for your home, and one to keep in your car. Hopefully, you'll never need them.

More about crisis communication.

 
Online Readings in
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Recent reads
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Strategic & tactical
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Public relations
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How-to tips
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Ethics in public relations
 

Generation gaps rise among PR professionals.

Opinions and work styles have long varied between "newbies" and "seasoned veterans," but they've rarely been as disparate as they are now among current PR professionals. In fact, these generation gaps are the theme of "Mind the Gap," the USC Annenberg Center's 2025 Global Communication Report.

It was released in late March with an announcement saying: "The public relations industry is experiencing unprecedented upheaval due to artificial intelligence, hybrid work (any combination of working remotely or at home rather than in the office), the evolving media landscape, and political polarization. Our report ... examines how PR professionals across four generations - from Gen Z to Baby Boomers - perceive these changes and their influence on the profession."

Not surprisingly, since the respondents all work in public relations, they generally agree that the future of public relations looks bright and promising, though not for the same reasons. Whether Baby Boomers nearing retirement age or 30-ish members of Gen Z, roughly 74 percent rated the future of the profession as "very positive" or "somewhat positive," and only 11 percent had a negative outlook about the profession's future.

With respect to the four recent trends cited above, there is less agreement and consistency than the following statistics suggest. If you are planning a career in public relations, you owe it to yourself to read this report in its entirety.

• 60 percent thought AI will have a positive effect on public relations, while 28 percent thought it will be negative.
• 54 percent believe hybrid and remote work will have a positive impact, while just 15% believe it will be negative.
• 43 percent believe the changing media landscape will positively impact our industry, but almost the same percentage see it as negative.
• In contrast, only 24 percent viewed political polarization as positive, while 59 percent saw it as the most significant negative impact on the future.

Download "Mind the Gap," the 2025 Global Communication Report.