The Crux of the Story

Dr. Tina McCorkindale, President and CEO of the Institute for Public Relations (IPR), discusses IPR's declaration of April as Disinformation Awareness Month and sheds light on combating disinformation, trends in public relations and the media. We delve into groundbreaking research reports about the changing media landscape and employee engagement in the communications industry. We also explore str...

Professor Damion Waymer, Director of the University of South Carolina’s School of Journalism and Mass Communications, discusses the misuse of scientific information and corporate misinformation. We explore the challenges faced by vulnerable publics, the role of social media, and the impact of political polarization on science communication. Professor Waymer also shares insights on improving public...

Kim Hunter, a trailblazing entrepreneur with over four decades of making his mark in multicultural integrated marketing, makes the case that the business of diversity is business. His LAGRANT COMMUNICATIONS has produced innovative marketing solutions for some of America’s top brands from Verizon to Harley Davidson and the American Cancer Society. THE LAGRANT FOUNDATION, which he founded, has award...

A powerful speech can inspire, persuade, and move an audience to action. That said, crafting and delivering a speech can be daunting. In his new book, "Say It Well: Find Your Voice, Speak Your Mind, Inspire Any Audience," former White House speechwriter Terry Szuplat demystifies the art of public speaking and shares valuable pointers and lessons from his distinguished career. He also discusses fav...

Doug Pinkham, a veteran of Washington, DC's political scene, served for 27 years as the president and CEO of the Public Affairs Council. Under his leadership, the Council became the leading public affairs membership organization, known for its annual Public Affairs Pulse Survey and its comprehensive State of Corporate Public Affairs Report. Doug discusses how political transitions, including the n...

Greg Galant, co-founder and CEO, of Muck Rack discusses Muck Rack's unique market position serving the needs of journalists as well as PR professionals and newsmakers – connecting each to each other and offering services to both that enhance workflow and measure impact. Greg discusses his firm’s AI-enhanced services that enhance pitches and better connect professionals across digital platforms.  W...

This is our first show of 2025, and we’re kicking things off with two esteemed guests: Rob Jekielek, Managing Director of The Harris Poll, and Dr. Rochelle Ford, the new CEO of the Arthur W. Page Society. They are here to discuss the Page-Harris Poll Confidence in Business Index, their joint global opinion survey just introduced at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The research highlights several...

Medtronic SVP & Chief Communications Officer Torod Neptune discusses how communicators can help their companies create value and provides insights on the expanding role of the CCO, the importance of making the business case for diversity and his career as a highly sought-after communications professional who has led teams at major agencies and companies – including Bank of America, Verizon, Lenovo...

Kevin Lawlor and Katie Wright of DDC Public Affairs share with us their takeaways.  They share thoughts on what tactics and strategies used during the recent elections might find their way into the work of PR and marketing professionals – and into issues advocacy.  They also provide insights about navigating Washington with the Republicans controlling both houses of Congress and the White House.

The United States and Canada share more than the world’s longest border between two countries – as the head of The Wilson’s Canada Institute informs us our cultures, our economies, and our national security are inextricably intertwined. Christopher Sands explores what might change given recent events and 2024 election outcomes.

In our 133rd episode, we speak with students who are already using their digital and communications know-how to create professional work for advertising and public relations clients. Awani Bildikar and Lindsey Pritchard work for The Carolina Agency, a student-run firm in its 20th year and part of an innovative curriculum experience at the University of South Carolina School of Journalism and Mass...

Managing public issues inside large organizations has become a minefield as activists and critics, liberals and conservatives, tug at companies from multiple directions. Avoq’s managing director Eric Sedler provides a bit of a map for how we might best navigate these stormy waters. Sedler also discusses the 2023 merger of Kivvit and Subject Matter, the two firms that created Avoq. Kivvit was the s...

Simplicity’s managing partner in the U.S. and Latin America has helped execute global and regional marketing and communications campaigns for some of the world’s top brands. He provides insights to how some top communications and marketing firms, including his own, represent U.S. companies in Latin America, represent Latin American companies in the U.S. and compete for the growing Latino market in...

The A.I. Index provides insights on attitudes about A.I., its power users and A.I.’s impact on newsrooms, social media consumption and communications tasks. The U.S. study was conducted by the University of South Carolina’s School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

Dr. Robert Hartwig of the University of South Carolina’s Risk and Uncertainty Management Center at the Darla Moore School of Business shares insights about Hurricanes Helene and Milton, the risks associated with hurricanes, how to communicate about such risks, the assessment of corporate economic risks of all kinds and how we should think about the risks associated with climate change.

Two former chief communicators – Jane Randel (formerly of Liz Clairborne) and Charlene Wheeless (formerly of Bechtel) – tell us about a new way in which companies are hiring experienced execs to lead major projects and guide teams for an interim amount of time. We also speak with Jane Randel about her company, Karp Randel, focused on social change campaigns and an effort she’s been involved with t...

As U.S. Latino purchasing power approaches $3.5 trillion, Latino public affairs and communications professionals are making a difference in diverse and mass markets, and in their community.  Estuardo Rodriguez, in addition to his work at the DC public affairs firm The Raben Group, serves as CEO of Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino.  Sonia Diaz is president of Miami-based Zaid C...

The producers of a highly-acclaimed documentary, Close The Divide, are hoping to get all of us to listen to one another on the subject of climate change and forge a better environment to actually address the associated issues and opportunities before us – even in the face of political polarization.

As he prepares for his induction into the Arthur W. Page Society Hall of Fame, GE’s former chief communications officer reflects on an amazing career as a journalist, a political press secretary, and working with GE execs Jack Welch and Jeff Immelt through some complex and dynamic business issues and global challenges. He also provides advice on how companies should think about social issues and a...

How is Microsoft’s communication team reimagining its strategy in the Age of AI? Steve Clayton, vice president of communications strategy, joins The Crux to answer this question. Steve, a former systems engineer, focuses on the revolutionary aspects of generative software that can help communicators while recognizing its fallibility in translating human emotion. Steve also gives listeners tips on...

Former prosecutor Debbie Hines joins The Crux for a conversation on enduring racial inequity in the American criminal justice system. Debbie is a leading voice in the fight for transforming the system from the inside and an expert on the history of racial inequality. She highlights themes of her new book, "Get Off My Neck: Black Lives, White Justice, and A Former Prosecutor’s Quest for Reform." De...

Corey duBrowa, head of BCW, and AnnaMaria DeSalva, head of Hill & Knowlton discuss the merger of their global PR agencies to become Burson. Hear what they have been doing to integrate and support their teams before the July 1 launch. As they work toward the launch, they are managing changing approaches to ESG, how to use emerging AI tools to help clients manage risk and reputation, and a turbulent...

A discussion with Weber Shandwick’s Chris Perry on his new book, Perspective Agents: A Human Guide to the Autonomous Age, which focuses on relationships of two parallel revolutions: the technological uprising of automation and AI; and, and a new sense of human autonomy that allows us to find new meaning and direction. Perspective Agents challenges us to adapt and thrive in this new era of machine...

New PMI Chief Communications Officer Moira Gilchrist, who holds a Ph. D. in pharmaceutical sciences, says she wants people to know her company has changed and is serious about ending cigarette smoking. “ My passion…is to bring those facts to the fore so that everybody can make a decision about us based on facts of today and not on the memory on the memory of the 1990s,” a reference to a time when...

Award-winning journalist and Boston University College of Communication professor David Abel, newest movie, Inundation District, focuses on Boston’s Seaport district, which is threatened by rising seawater. The film is a master class in science-based journalism in a time of eroding trust in science. A prolific filmmaker, Abel’s works have largely focused on natural resource issues off New England’...