Flack Pack

The Washington Post scrambled recently to create a Super Bowl television commercial in support of its “Democracy Dies in Darkness” campaign defending journalism and the First Amendment. But did it make a difference? Was it a waste of time and money? How many football fans paid attention to the newspaper’s serious message, airing just moments before the New England Patriots prepared to vanquish another helpless opponent? Dr. Michelle Amazeen, Assistant Professor of Mass Communication at Boston University, discusses the commercial, addresses whether it helped journalism’s cause, and tells us why PR people should share the news media’s concerns over continued attacks on their work. Following up on the topic, Robert examines the challenges facing newsrooms with a former broadcast journalist who now teaches budding reporters attending classes at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. And Sarah Shelson quizzes PR classmates at American University about PR lessons learned from the bogus 2017 Fyre Festiva