Nick Baker

If you worked as a journalist for a long time you know how to do sales - every pitch to your editor was a mini-sale. If you published articles on a CMS you know how to do real-time QA on the fly (Dude, I know). If you've ever appeared on a podcast you're halfway to learning audio production. TLDR; you have way more many job skills than you know you have.

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What were your PET takeaways from the Plastics Recycling Conference? Worries over markets dominated some discussions, with reclaimers hoping for policy interventions while a major MRF operator said market conditions could lead to PET being landfilled. Read more in our story in Waste Dive. https://lnkd.in/eEh6sqmJ #PRC2026

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🚨 NEW RESEARCH FROM IPR! 📊 Today, the Institute for Public Relations and Leger have launched the 5th edition of the "Disinformation in Society" study and I am SO excited! 👏 Based on a survey of 2,000 Americans, this report investigates the sources people trust, who should be responsible for combatting disinformation and how well they are doing, and how disinformation can be curbed, including the role of companies and brands. Some of the findings include: 💡 70% of Americans believe disinformation is a MAJOR problem in the US 📰 74% of Democrats and 59% of Republicans trust local news, making this outlet one of the most trusted media sources for both political parties 🏫 79% believe media literacy should be taught in schools 🌟 67% said companies and brands should take a stronger role in combatting disinformation As communication leaders, we must continue the fight against disinformation, which has not only consequences for our industry, but for society as a whole as well. 💪 Thanks to David Scholz, APR, CAIP for his partnership and leadership! 🙏 . Please check out the study and let us know your thoughts! https://lnkd.in/g8BnUWcp

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You can’t overcommunicate with a communicator.* One reason former reporters make exceptional communications professionals is we know how to ask questions in order to pull the answers we need from leaders and we know what questions to ask because we instinctively know what the public expects. Will there be times when not every question can be answered immediately? Of course. But giving comms pros access to information that can’t yet be shared still helps them strategize. Having the big picture helps the planning process. If your communicator is too intimidated to ask questions, that’s a problem that needs addressing. If your communicator isn’t trusted, same. Are they not trusted for valid reasons? Or not liked because they press hard for information? Two different scenarios. Leaders, encourage those who surround you to share information. Yes, info is power, and that’s the point. Your communicators hold the power, in part, to your reputation. Arm them with information. *One example where this does not hold true is during a crisis. Please don’t inundate us with minutia, rather follow the BLUF method. (Bottom Line Up Front) Communicators will always ask for more details if they need it. Trust me on this.

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The Environmental Protection Agency is reorganizing its science research office in a move expected to impact, and likely eliminate, several hundred jobs at the agency’s Research Triangle Park campus. During a virtual meeting Friday, EPA leaders encouraged staff within the Office of Research and Development to reapply for positions across other EPA offices. More than 1,500 ORD staff have been told they can apply for roughly 400 to 500 open positions nationwide, said Holly Wilson, president of American Federation of Government Employees Local 3347, which represents EPA employees in the Triangle. “It looks like ORD will no longer be an independent program office,” she said. https://lnkd.in/eb3YHah4

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Starving… think food deserts, which leave communities without access to nutritious food, the latest from Muck Rack & Rebuild Local News (h/t CNN) shows an alarming rise in news deserts. Their “Local Journalist Index” by county is quite alarming. 📰 75% fewer local journalists since 2002 🚨 Over a third of U.S. counties now lack a single full-time reporter This leaves local information voids and can be quite troubling for companies building trust, brands weathering a crisis, or governments attempting to inform as the vacuum can be misinformed or influenced by bad actors. This isn't just a rural issue; urban and suburban areas are severely impacted too, leaving communities uninformed and vulnerable. This brings to mind a phrase carved in stone on a Rotary International bench in Little Rock: "Is it the truth?" 🤯 This simple yet profound question becomes ever more critical as we grapple with the implications of local news deserts. In an age where information is abundant but verified truth is scarce, it's incumbent upon us all to ask: Where is the information coming from, and is it the truth? And as #PR practitioners, building #trust for brands, products or services just became a whole lot harder. #LocalNews #JournalismCrisis #SocialSwarming https://lnkd.in/gpMPx5iq

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Carney's forthcoming "climate competitiveness strategy" is being kept close to the vest, but lots of reason to expect the proposed oil and gas cap to be scrapped (four years of government work down the drain!) in favour of changes to industrial carbon pricing that looks an awful lot like doubling down on a policy that is known to be politically risky. The story unpacks this more, and takes a look at who has been lobbying the PMO in recent months. Short answer, oil and gas companies scoring plenty of meetings as climate groups struggle to make inroads. So where do things stand? Canada has an opportunity to position our economy for the energy transition, but instead we've got the head of Trans Mountain running the Major Projects Office, Carney and senior ministers talking up more LNG, and a climate strategy that could be shaped by an outdated ideas of what it means to be competitive in the 21st century. I'll be closely watching how this strategy unfolds, but in the meantime, here's my latest: https://lnkd.in/gx39YSBu

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