IPR has partnered with The Museum of Public Relations to feature some of the many Black PR Pioneers in celebration of Black History Month

Patricia Tobin began her career as a broadcaster. She started her career in Los Angeles where she worked for local news station KCBS-TV. Then in the early 1980s, she began hosting weekly "journalist jams," where people working in the media would socialize and network.

Tobin's Los Angeles base allowed her access to many big names. She realized that there were few opportunities for people of color in her field, so she left her broadcasting job and opened her own PR agency, Tobin and Associates, in 1983.

Her notable connections in Los Angeles became her public relations clients, and she built her agency into a nationally known business. Over the years Tobin's client list included Spike Lee, Wells Fargo, Nestle USA, Reebok International, Walt Disney Feature Animation, Sony Music Entertainment, the Los Angeles chapter of the NAACP, and more.

Read the rest of Patricia Tobin's biography to see how she was a trailblazer in the field of public relations.

In A Car With IPR is a video series by the Institute for Public Relations where we get to know some of the leaders in the public relations industry.

This two-part episode of In A Car With IPR features a candid conversation about career paths, diversity, equity, and inclusion, intersectionality, allyship, workplace "Karens," and what needs to be changed in the industry. 

Watch the full episode!

This blog is based on the original article in the Public Relations Journal. The Public Relations Journal is a peer-reviewed academic journal presented by the Institute for Public Relations and the Public Relations Society of America.

Due to COVID-19, public relations leaders have never been more aware of the need to pivot quickly in crisis communications. However, while crisis communication research is well established, this is the first time that research has integrated the strategic management theory of dynamic capabilities. These are the "organizational capabilities that allow firms to build and renew resources and assets, reconfiguring them as needed to innovate and respond to changes in the business environment."

This study examines the connection between the strategic management theory of dynamic capabilities (specifically three factors: sensing, seizing, and transformation) and crisis communication using the framework provided by Kump et al. (2019). 

To learn more about the findings and the eight key themes that emerged, check out Kim's blog.

Edelman annually assesses public trust across the globe, namely trust in four main institutions: business, NGOs, government, and media.

An online survey of over 33,000 people was conducted in 28 countries between October 19, 2020 and November 18, 2020.

Key findings include:

Read more to see how trust in various institutions and events changed in 2020.