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Highlight of an op-ed on Pride Month written by RENEWPR President Ben Finzel for a public relations industry trade publication.

Highlight and link to commentary by RENEWPR President Ben Finzel on Pride Month written for the public relations industry association's blog

We've now completed a whirlwind Pride Month 2022. It was a month filled with highs and lows, like any month in the past few years, frankly. What was different this year was the sense that, as the Museum of Public Relations said in their annual Pride event title this year, LGBTQ rights are on the line . That sense was reinforced on June 24th, when the Supreme Court announced their ruling in the Dobbs case, declaring that women no longer had control over their own reproductive

Note: This post was originally published by O'Dwyer's PR Report under the title " DC Group Promotes LGBTQ PR Jobs, Rights " on Thursday, July 12, 2018. It’s 2018. Equal marriage is legal in all 50 states. “Will & Grace” is back on the air. Ellen DeGeneres is a cultural and pop icon. Society is finally beginning to acknowledge the existence (if not always the value and worth) of bisexual and transgender people. A casual observer might think that LGBTQ people today enjoy both

Note: This blog post first appeared as a guest column in the January edition of Public Relations Tactics , published by the Public Relations Society of America. In the months since the earthquake that was Election Day 2016, conversations about the proper role of public relations in this new era of “populism” have continued. Does the country’s new mood mean that typical outreach efforts are no longer valid? Does growing skepticism about the media mean news coverage is no lon

Note: This post originally appeared on Adweek's PRNewser website on January 8, 2016. We are reprinting it here today in advance of tomorrow's Iowa Caucuses. The updated national dietary guidelines are out today. The basic message continues to be “eat more fresh, whole foods and less processed foods.” Junk food is still bad for you. That makes sense. And given the rise of new dining options and the increasing availability and affordability of fresh food, it’s doable too. B

This post originally appeared on PR Newser on July 23, 2015. Today marks RENEW PR ’s six-month anniversary in business. Even after 25 years in Washington (more than 17 of them in PR), I’ve learned a lot in the past six months of being a small business owner. While I know I have quite a bit more to learn about managing and building my own communications firm, here are six things I’ve learned in my first six months in business: 1) Small is beautiful . I acknowledge tha

Note: This post, written by Ben Finzel, originally appeared on PR Newser on March 18, 2015. Separating the politics of the situation for a moment, let’s consider the communications lessons from the stunning rise and shattering fall of Congressman Aaron Schock. The fourth-term Congressman from Peoria (literally – you can’t make this stuff up) yesterday announced his resignation from Congress (effective March 31) after a six-week news cycle that churned out revelation after