Of course, the days when I get to walk the dogs in the\nmorning are like little victories, flicking two fingers at the pesky virus and\nits lockdown rules. I\u2019ve also been able to exercise more, get out on the bike\nand even a few 5k runs \u2013 great when I have miles of largely deserted beach and\ndunes at my doorstep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Social media has, of course, become even more of a dominant influence cementing its reputation as a two-faced security blanket\/anxiety trigger. FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) <\/a>has largely disappeared, as really there\u2019s nothing to miss out on anymore, I\u2019ve even forgotten all about football.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What has been encouraging is to see how the PR\/comms\ncommunity has come together to share insight and perspective on the good and\nbad of how the crisis is being managed and strategized. There really is a\ntreasure trove of analysis, case studies and secondary sources that all PR\nstudents should have in their search engines on speed dial!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, our very own visiting professor Stephen Waddington\nis leading the way with his regular analysis and lockdown letters on the Wadds blog<\/a>. Stephen\u2019s output has been\nimpressive over the last few weeks with his posts not only acting as meaningful\nand important analysis but also a pause for reflection over what we can learn as\npeople and society. Stephen\u2019s reflection on Covoid brand\nconversations<\/a> should be one of the first stops for any PR dissertation\nstudent looking at how brands have used the pandemic to manage reputation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I continue to be impressed by PR Academy, edited by Richard\nBailey, with its more scholarly tone and useful guides to the theories and\nconcepts which guide comms. Richard\u2019s briefing on the PESO model<\/a> was a go\nto teaching tool for me this year. Recently the Academy\u2019s content has understandably\nfocused more on crisis \u2013 check out these crisis book\nreviews<\/a> \u2013 and its league table of student blogs #bestPRblogs is always a\ntimely reminder that I need to encourage our Newcastle students to blog more.\nWatch out PR Academy, Newcastle is coming for you (that\u2019s really hard to say as\na Sunderland fan!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve always enjoyed PR\nMoment<\/a> for its blend of light and dark industry perspectives from those working\nat the coalface of comms. In particular, its regular Good\nand Bad PR<\/a> feature is a great source for practice case studies and\ncampaigns. And of course, there\u2019s PR Week<\/a>\nwhich offers the latest UK industry news, albeit behind a paywall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Facebook, the marketing,\nmedia and PR community of practice<\/a> has emerged in the past few weeks as the\ngo to resource for engagement and conversation, particularly around Covoid\ncomms and messaging. Again, it\u2019s been developed by Stephen Waddington, with some\nimpressive metrics \u2013 more than 300 members and dozens of topics on everything\nfrom Captain Tom\u2019s fundraiser to mainstream media distraction. The group is\nhelping to shape how practitioners and academics are making sense of the\nstrategy as we emerge into new ways of living and working \u2013 which leads me to\nmy closing thoughts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve had a number of conversations with colleagues this\nweek, including with the parent of a prospective student, about how PR and\ncomms. will fare from the crisis. There\u2019s a strong sense that the sector could\nemerge stronger and with new found respect. Perhaps even with New Zealand\npresident \u2013 and PR graduate \u2013 Jacinda\nArdern<\/a> as its knight in All Blacks armour!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Generally, PR and comms was ‘relatively’ thriving pre-Corona compared with other media sectors, particularly journalism. The pandemic has, however, put an immediate dent in that with commercial organisations understandably putting a hold on budgets and recruitment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But one of the positives is that clear comms. is\ncoming to the fore during the pandemic and is what people value. That’s being\nrecognised widely, and while not practiced by the UK government, my hope is\nthat the sector will emerge with increased credibility as organisations recognise\nthe importance of clear and consistent comms and messaging. Ultimately that may translate to greater recognition\nfor PR with organisations supporting within their teams internally and\nexternally. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Seven weeks into lockdown and I appear to have developed something of a routine. It goes something like this \u2013 wake up, mint tea, think about what\u2019s for tea, do some work, think about tea, walk dogs, make and eat … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/prnewcastle\/files\/2020\/05\/IMG_0313-1024x768.jpg\")
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