✅ Why public relations diversity efforts are falling short
Despite decades of research and a surge in activist activity, the public relations industry remains unchanged. So what’s the answer?
Race, Diversity, and Social Mobility in the Public Relations Industry, a new book by Elizabeth Bridgen and Ileana Zeler, argues that diversity initiatives in public relations are failing to improve the nature of the practice.
The authors state that while activist interventions have an important role as change drivers and means of community support, they aren’t making a difference to the makeup of agencies or in-house communications teams.
Socially Mobile, a nonprofit initiative I co-founded in 2021 to provide management training to practitioners from underserved communities, supported the project by providing access to its alumni community.
Numerous factors explain the lack of progress, but ultimately, the forces maintaining the status quo are too strong. The cultural barriers in society are too high, and the systemic issues within practice are too great for piecemeal interventions to make a meaningful difference. Intersectional issues compound the problem.
The recent Missing Women study, produced by Socially Mobile and published by the CIPR, drew a similar conclusion. It sought to understand why 4,000 women fail to make it into senior roles in the UK industry.
Race, Diversity, and Social Mobility in the Public Relations Industry sets out the business, ethical and moral cases for diversity. Diverse organisations make better decisions. Public relations and corporate communication teams should represent the public and the organisations that they serve.
The book is a rigorous and thoughtful work in three parts. The first section examines the literature in this area from the last 20 years. The second section explores the issue through interviews with practitioners with lived experience, including Socially Mobile graduates. The final section draws the arguments together and looks forward.
The authors use multiple datasets, notably the CIPR State of the Profession 2024 Report, to support their argument.
Issues within practice include employers hiring in their own image and in the perceived image of the agency or organisation’s client. Those practitioners that do break through lack visible role models and support. Practitioners from underrepresented communities become exhausted and leave the industry.
These issues have been well known in public relations practice since the 1980s. Researchers, including Cleo Bourne, Lee Edwards, and Anne Gregory, have investigated diversity, inclusion and power imbalance in the public relations industry over the past two decades. Their work is cited throughout the book, among others.
At a recent discussion of activist leaders in London hosted by Farzana Baduel, Lee Edwards said that cultural change takes at least two generations. That change starts with diagnosis, followed by policy.
Thanks to Elizabeth Bridgen, Ileana Zeler and other critical researchers, we’re building a solid knowledge base. Activist initiatives are driving policy.
The optimist in me says we’re just starting the journey of change.
Have a good week ahead.
Management
🤝 HUMAN CONNECTION: A study by Ana Tkalac Verčič and Dejan Verčič identifies an internal communication paradox: whilst digital tools deliver efficiency, face-to-face meetings score highest for emotional satisfaction and cultural connection. Internal communicators must rebalance channels, prioritising in-person encounters for complex conversations, change announcements and relationship building. Source: Wadds Inc.
🧑💻️ THEORY INTO PRACTICE: The situational theory of publics - identifying audiences by awareness and involvement levels rather than demographics - bridges messaging with relationship-building, fundamentally distinguishing public relations from marketing. This 40-year-old framework deserves renewed attention as it guides practitioners to design strategies around how people think, feel and act, putting the public back into public relations. Source: Wadds Inc.
🏳️🌈 PRIDE RETREAT: Large US companies are abandoning Pride support amid escalating anti-DEI pressure, with 39% scaling back external engagements. Government contractors face particular scrutiny from the Trump administration. Public relations practitioners should help their organisations focus on consistent messaging and core values rather than performative support. Source: Axios.
Industry
🧰 AI JOBS IMPACT: A comparison of public relations job listings in May 2024 with May 2025 at the top 50 UK agencies reveals a surprising shift. Mid-weight roles have dropped from 53 to 32, and senior roles from 19 to 10 - a 58% decline. Meanwhile, junior-level positions have remained stable at 29 in both years countering the narrative that AI is hollowing out junior jobs. Source: Jobs in PR.
🎓 GRADUATION SUCCESS: Socially Mobile celebrated its tenth cohort of graduates last week. Speaking at the event, steering group member Farzana Baduel said, tackling diversity and representation and pushing practice into management were critical to building a sustainable industry. Applications are open for September 2025. Source: Socially Mobile.
Best practice
🌳 SYCAMORE GAP LEGACY: The National Trust and Northumberland National Park Authority handled the illegal felling of Sycamore Gap tree through exemplary engagement. They have created a legacy by distributing 49 saplings from the tree and supporting regeneration of the site. The response demonstrates how putting public sentiment at the heart of strategic communications can turn a tragedy into meaningful community action. Source: Stephen Waddington.
💻 CYBER RESILIENCE: Marks & Spencer's early crisis response to a cyberattack won praise for CEO Stuart Machin's direct communication and transparent updates, though the retailer faces mounting pressure after two weeks of disrupted online services. Crisis management experts warn that M&S must resume regular communication as technical issues persist and customer patience wears thin. Source: PRovoke
Media
🗞 NEWSLETTER BOOM: Substack has added more than a million subscribers since President Trump took office to reach five million paid subscriptions. The platform is now one of the top 50 news platforms in the UK. It is attracting high-profile journalists, politicians and traditional media executives who are bypassing established publishers to connect directly with audiences. Source: The Financial Times.
📹 VIDEO STRATEGY: The Financial Times has built steady growth in video viewership through long-form films that prioritise subscriber value over advertising revenue. Films take 3-12 months to produce, with a small eight-person team creating premium content outside the paywall to attract new audiences. Think about video when you’re pitching stories. Source: The Financial Times.
Artificial intelligence
🚨 HALLUCINATION CRISIS: New reasoning AI systems are producing incorrect information at rates up to 79%, despite advances in computational abilities. The developers of generative AI systems admit they cannot solve the persistent problem of AI hallucinations, which threatens reliability for professional applications. Source: The New York Times.
Thanks to Tricia Fox, Catherine Frankpitt, Eleanor Hawkins, Alan Morrison, Ramona Slusarczyk, Sarah Waddington CBE and everyone who shares and debates the stories in the newsletter via our Facebook and LinkedIn communities.
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