Read some of today's best PR and Comms industry news clips:
What Dolly Parton Taught Us About Trust, Authenticity and the Power of Being Yourself (CommPRO - August 26, 2026)
Meta settles social media addiction case with California, other states for $16.7 billion (CNBC - August 26, 2026)
AI search is PR for machines (AdNews (AU) - August 27, 2026)
How The Hershey Company overhauled its communications function around the work (Ragan Communications - August 27, 2026)
Five Questions With Jon Arons: What a Year of Food Recalls Has Taught Giant Food About Crisis Communications and Community (PRNEWS - August 26, 2026)
Leading With Your Heart and Your Head (PRsay - August 24, 2026)
Target faces renewed backlash after selling a Halloween costume with 'minstrel show features' (PBS News - August 26, 2026)
Why media relationships matter for long-term brand growth (Agility PR Solutions - August 26, 2026)
How to score PR agencies through a risk and revenue lens (Axia Public Relations - August 27, 2026)
The Scoop: Callaway eventually owns its role for approving ad criticized for violence against women (PR Daily - August 26, 2026)
How Do Agency Pros Get The Best Out Of AI? 18 Valuable Prompts (Forbes - August 27, 2026)
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Summary Section:
What Dolly Parton Taught Us About Trust, Authenticity and the Power of Being Yourself
By Fay Shapiro
CommPRO - August 26, 2026
CommPRO asked leading communication executives to reflect on the lessons Dolly Parton leaves us about authenticity, trust, leadership and the enduring power of knowing exactly who you are.
Meta settles social media addiction case with California, other states for $16.7 billion
By Jonathan Vanian
CNBC - August 26, 2026
Meta and a coalition of state attorneys general have settled a major federal case centering on allegations that the social media giant misrepresented the extent of child mental health harms caused by apps like Facebook and Instagram.
AI search is PR for machines
By Eaon Pritchard
AdNews (AU) - August 27, 2026
Eaon Pritchard says that just like how Public Relations manages how organisations are understood by people, ‘Machine Relations’ asks how they will be understood by AI.
How The Hershey Company overhauled its communications function around the work
By Sean Devlin
Ragan Communications - August 27, 2026
Starting in 2025, The Hershey Company overhauled its communications function, eliminating silos between the organization’s internal and external comms functions in favor of a more integrated process that seeks the right person for the right project or initiative.
Five Questions With Jon Arons: What a Year of Food Recalls Has Taught Giant Food About Crisis Communications and Community
By Nicole Schuman
PRNEWS - August 26, 2026
Jon Arons, Communications and Community Relations Manager at Giant Food, oversees PR and community relations for one of the Mid-Atlantic’s most beloved grocery chains. In this episode of “Five Questions With...” he breaks down what it actually looks like to manage communications for a retailer that serves millions of families across 162 stores.
Leading With Your Heart and Your Head
PRsay - August 24, 2026
Exceptional leaders distinguish themselves through distinctly human qualities such as empathy, listening and gratitude, David Grossman, APR, Fellow PRSA, said during PRSA’s Aug. 24 Member Mondays livestream.
Target faces renewed backlash after selling a Halloween costume with ‘minstrel show features’
By Nancy Jiang
PBS News - August 26, 2026
Retailer Target pulled a children’s Halloween costume from its shelves Monday after widespread social media backlash, apologizing for selling a garment critics said evoked racist minstrel caricatures. This incident comes as Target’s sales are rebounding after previous controversies and a rollback of diversity efforts.
Why media relationships matter for long-term brand growth
By Sohaib Khan
Agility PR Solutions - August 26, 2026
Unlike one-off publicity efforts, strong media connections can continue creating value long after a single story has been published.
How to score PR agencies through a risk and revenue lens
By Dana Whitfield
Axia Public Relations - August 27, 2026
Learn how a public relations company can hedge revenue risk by scoring crisis readiness, reputation resilience, and search plus AI visibility defense.
The Scoop: Callaway eventually owns its role for approving ad criticized for violence against women
By Courtney Blackann
PR Daily - August 26, 2026
Callaway eventually owns its role for approving ad criticized for violence against women. Plus: Target apologizes for racist Halloween costume; TikTok launches Substack.
How Do Agency Pros Get The Best Out Of AI? 18 Valuable Prompts
By Forbes Agency Council
Forbes - August 27, 2026
Beyond telling LLMs what to produce, the strongest prompts shape AI’s approach to problems, surface uncertainty and create useful friction to improve the work.
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All reports made with the help of Report Mule.

