Hello! Take a look at Tuesday’s Daily PR Brief - August 18, 2026
The lost art of the Thank-You note; The workplace case for taking eye health seriously; AI will transform PR — we're just doing it badly so far; and more!
Read some of today's best PR and Comms industry news clips:
The Lost Art of the Thank-You Note (Landis Communications - August 18, 2026)
AI Can't Tell You Which PR Firm to Trust (O'Dwyer's - August 17, 2026)
The workplace case for taking eye health seriously (Ragan Communications - August 17, 2026)
AI Recycled a Dead Promotion and Sent Customers to a Client's Doors (PRNEWS - August 17, 2026)
Trust isn't claimed, it's engineered—a lesson PR pros can borrow from product design (Agility PR Solutions - August 17, 2026)
Meet the 15 Rising Communications Leaders in PRSA-NY's 2026 Class (CommPRO - August 18, 2026)
Data Center PR: The Ever-Changing Impact (FischTank PR - August 17, 2026)
Is Anyone Outside Your Company Listening? (The Colab Brief - August 18, 2026)
Mastercard's Barkha Patel to Receive Outstanding Individual Achievement SABRE (PRovoke Media - August 17, 2026)
The Scoop: Disney, Epic Games collab on 'story that doesn't have to end when you leave the park' (PR Daily - August 17, 2026)
AI Will Transform PR — We're Just Doing It Badly So Far (The AI Journal - August 18, 2026)
How Americans Are Using and Questioning AI (Institute for Public Relations - August 18, 2026)
An Interview: Kimi Yoshino, The Washington Post (Meredith & The Media - August 17, 2026)
Know someone who might like this wrapup of the latest in the PR/Comms industry? Please forward it to them!
Summary Section:
The Lost Art of the Thank-You Note
By Makenzi Jordan Rodriguez
Landis Communications - August 18, 2026
Relationships are built through many small interactions over time. The next time a reporter interviews your client, send the thank-you.
AI Can't Tell You Which PR Firm to Trust
By Larry Smalheiser
O'Dwyer's - August 17, 2026
Finding a strategic communications agency has never been easier. Choosing the right one may be harder than ever.
The workplace case for taking eye health seriously
By Jonathan Ormsby
Ragan Communications - August 17, 2026
Workers who spend hours staring at their computer screens can wind up with burning, itching or watery eyes.
AI Recycled a Dead Promotion and Sent Customers to a Client's Doors
By Kristen Kauffman
PRNEWS - August 17, 2026
A restaurant ran a Teacher Appreciation and Nurses Week promotion in 2025 which included free food. In 2026, the client chose not to repeat it. AI did not get the memo.
Trust isn't claimed, it's engineered—a lesson PR pros can borrow from product design
By Desmond Thomas
Agility PR Solutions - August 17, 2026
In an era where skepticism toward brand messaging runs high, the professionals who win aren't the ones with the most confident copy — they're the ones who can show their audience a system, not just a statement.
Meet the 15 Rising Communications Leaders in PRSA-NY's 2026 Class
By Fay Shapiro
CommPRO - August 18, 2026
Meet the 15 rising communications leaders named to PRSA-NY's 15 Under 35 Class for 2026 and the fresh thinking, leadership and energy they're bringing to our industry.
Data Center PR: The Ever-Changing Impact
By Alexa Topolski and Julia Kindig
FischTank PR - August 17, 2026
With backlash from communities on data center construction to moratoriums being enacted upon in data center heavy area “goldmines,” Data Center PR can assist in effectively educating communities about the projects and help avoid controversies surrounding the rapidly expanding construction.
Is Anyone Outside Your Company Listening?
The Colab Brief - August 18, 2026
We've gotten very good at making sure an announcement is accurate, on-brand, legally sound, and approved. We're much less good at making sure it's interesting.
Mastercard's Barkha Patel to Receive Outstanding Individual Achievement SABRE
By Paul Holmes
PRovoke Media - August 17, 2026
In her role as head of communications for Mastercard, Barkha Patel oversees communications strategies for all the company's business units, as well as its DEI and ESG commitments.
The Scoop: Disney, Epic Games collab on 'story that doesn't have to end when you leave the park'
By Courtney Blackann
PR Daily - August 17, 2026
Disney, Epic Games collab on 'story that doesn't have to end when you leave the park'. Plus: Crocs brings mascot to life with new miniseries; skeptics wary of Meta's AI vision.
AI Will Transform PR — We're Just Doing It Badly So Far
The AI Journal - August 18, 2026
A good part of my week is spent opening documents that are, on the surface, perfectly respectable — fine structure, clean grammar. But the whole thing has that college-report sheen so beloved by AI and so often mistaken for competence. There's no pulse, no real point of view behind the words.
How Americans Are Using and Questioning AI
Institute for Public Relations - August 18, 2026
Pew Research Center examined how U.S. adults use and view AI, including chatbots, smart devices, AI search summaries, and the perceived impact of AI on society.
An Interview: Kimi Yoshino, The Washington Post
By Meredith Klein
Meredith & The Media - August 17, 2026
This week, I sat down with Kimi Yoshino, managing editor at The Washington Post.
If you're interested in setting up a customized report for your company or need any help with monitoring or media research feel free to reach out.
All reports made with the help of Report Mule.