In #FIRpodcast 504, @nevillehobson.xyz and I talk about “AI washing” – when organizations attribute layoffs to AI even though the real reasons may be different. When the message differs from reality, trust erodes.
It's an ethical bind for communicators.
bit.ly/4s338vH
A leader can build goodwill for days... and lose it in seconds.
In #FIRpodcast 503, nevillehobson.xyz & I examine the #IOC press conference moment that turned into a global story about blame, executive readiness & leadership capital.
🎧💻 bit.ly/3OKM3YX
In #FIRpodcast 502, @nevillehobson.xyz and I unpacked what happened when an AI coding agent's code was rejected by a human developer – and the AI then published a critique of him and his decision.
Plus 5 more topics in this long-form episode for February.
🔗 bit.ly/46ou3cR
In #FIRpodcast 500, @nevillehobson.xyz &
I talk about AI-enabled workplace abuse and why it needs to be treated as workplace harm.
For communicators, this is about preparation – what to do before anything happens to prevent silence becoming permission.
🎧💻 bit.ly/4tsVU5w
PRSA says staying “apolitical” protects credibility. In #FIRpodcast 499, @nevillehobson.xyz & I ask a harder question: what happens to credibility, truth and standards when ethical goes quiet?
🎧💻 bit.ly/4tmraTN
Thoughtful discussion welcomed.
Most crises aren’t sudden. AI, trust erosion, and compound risks expose how unprepared organizations still are.
@shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz
host a new #FIRpodcast interview with Philippe Borremans
@riskcomms.bsky.social on crisis communication trends for 2026.
🎧💻 bit.ly/45AKdzn
I want Ross charged, tried, and convicted. But even though I have never voted for a Republican, Ross is nevertheless entitled to a defense. Let's stay on the right side of the Constitution, unlike Republicans.
FIR 498
The 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer warns of a crisis of insularity – trust hasn’t collapsed, but has narrowed. In the lead story in #FIRpodcast 498, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz examine Edelman’s idea of “trust brokering”, which has attracted critical response.
🎧💻 bit.ly/4q2FIoL
FIR 497: CEOs Wrest Control of AI
BCG’s latest AI Radar report shows AI has become a CEO-owned issue – not a tech project.
In #FIRpodcast 479, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz discuss confidence gaps, agentic AI, and why communicators now sit at the centre of trust, meaning, and change.
🎧💻 bit.ly/49tiG5k
FIR 496: Redefining public relations
On #FIRpodcast 496, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz unpack the PRCA’s proposed 2½-page new “definition” of public relations. The public debate will be an important conversation. Big questions about clarity, accessibility, and who gets to define the profession.
🎧💻 bit.ly/49AYJrQ
21 years ago, on 5 Jan 2005, we published the first @firpodcast.bsky.social podcast episode. Yesterday, @shelholtz.bsky.social and I marked the anniversary with a short, reflective conversation. We're grateful to everyone who’s listened along the way. Thank you!
🎧💻 bit.ly/49pBBMY
Reddit has overtaken TikTok as the UK’s 4th most-visited social platform.
In FIR 495, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz talk about why search + AI are now amplifying human conversation, not polished messaging, and what that means for communicators.
🎧💻 bit.ly/49HG3rQ
"PR is dead", says Martin Sorrell on BBC Radio 4, challenged live on air by the PRCA's Sarah Waddington.
@shelholtz.bsky.social
and
@nevillehobson.xyz
unpack the fallout.
They also cover the future of news and more in this long-form episode 494.
🎧💻 six reports - Dec 2025
bit.ly/3Yg01Dy
In #FIRpodcast #493, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz look at how artificial early engagement can trick algorithms into creating visibility that looks like significance.
It's alarmingly easy to do.
🎧💻 www.firpodcastnetwork.com/fir-493-how-...
FIR 492: Omnicom-IPG layoffs
In #FIRpodcast 492, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz look at how the story of the Omnicom–IPG layoffs unfolded:
▪️ One official, investor-focused narrative.
▪️ Another on LinkedIn and Reddit.
When people have platforms, the press release isn’t the whole story.
🎧💻 bit.ly/48X038r
Josh Bernoff on writers and AI in an FIR Interview podcast
In a new #FIRpodcast interview, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz talk with Josh Bernoff about his major survey of writers and AI – the deep divide between users and non-users, productivity gains, “AI slop,” trust, and why the real story isn’t replacement but re-sorting.
🎧💻 bit.ly/4s3XFp8
FIR 491
FIR 491: One Big Four consulting firm. Two government reports on opposite sides of the world, packed with fake AI-generated citations. Even a CDC-linked study got caught. @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz unpack why “human in the loop” now means “human fact-checker.”
🎧💻 bit.ly/4puRxV8
Communicators are adjusting their content strategies to accommodate the sources AI models use to produce search results. There are problems with the studies that claim to identify those sources. Neville and I dove into the situation in our latest FIR podcast episode.
FIR podcast 489.
In FIR 489, @shelholtz.bsky.social and @nevillehobson.xyz dig into “idea inflation” – when leaders fire off AI-generated thought-leadership ideas and teams are left to clean up the mess. Plus: brand under comms, vibe coding, quantum, and more.
🎧💻 Listen or watch: bit.ly/43AUVoy
#FIRpodcast
“Going viral” isn’t a strategy – it’s a dice roll. In FIR 485 @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz explain why you should drop it from your objectives and what to measure instead. Plan for compounding attention, not spikes.
🔗 www.firpodcastnetwork.com/fir-485-is-i...
#FIRpodcast
FIR 484: AI-Powered PR
A new #AI tool called #OliviaBrown can create & send entire PR campaigns, even follow up with journalists.
In FIR 484, @shelholtz.bsky.social and @nevillehobson.xyz discuss what this means for trust and the future of #publicrelations.
🎧 www.firpodcastnetwork.com/fir-484-is-o...
Was Tylenol's response to presidential claims that it causes autism in children whose mothers used while pregnant worth holding up as a case study? @nevillehobson.xyz and I break it down in the latest FIR podcast episode. www.firpodcastnetwork.com/fir-483-how-...
FIR podcast 482 - discussion topics.
In #FIRpodcast 482, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz dig into #workslop – workplace content that looks good but adds no real value
Also: human-centred organisations, the evolving role of internal comms, Amazon’s AI audience targeting, AI and press releases, and more.
🎧 bit.ly/42i54Wy
#AI can polish our words, but at what cost to authenticity? In #FIRpodcast 481, @shelholtz.bsky.social and @nevillehobson.xyz discuss tone in AI-assisted writing and the 2025 em dash kerfuffle. Plus, Shel’s project to turn 28 blog posts into a new book with AI’s help.
🎧 Listen: bit.ly/42c8n1n
AI nightmare by Republicans, medicare. Profit share to deny government claims…https://www.nytimes.... #AI #Republicans #medicare
#SEO vs #GEO.
In #FIRpodcast 479, @shelholtz.bsky.social and @nevillehobson.xyz ask: is generative optimisation the future, or just the latest acronym soup? Spoiler: trust and clarity still win.
🎧 www.firpodcastnetwork.com/fir-479-hack...
FIR podcast 478 - list of topics.
Silence isn’t golden - or neutral. In FIR 478, @shelholtz.bsky.social and I ask: when does not speaking up do more damage than saying something?
We also dive into AI, PR’s reputation, deepfakes, and more.
🎧 Tune in: www.firpodcastnetwork.com/fir-478-when...
#Wikipedia is under pressure from AI “slop” and from UK regulation.
In FIR 477, @shelholtz.bsky.social and @nevillehobson.xyz discuss Wikipedia’s new speedy deletion policy, and losing a legal challenge under the UK’s Online Safety Act. What does it all mean for communicators?
🔗 bit.ly/4fOwRUc
RSS never died, it just faded from view. In #FIRpodcast 475, @nevillehobson.xyz & @shelholtz.bsky.social talk about the quiet comeback of RSS, powered by AI and fediverse vibes. That's powerful, and it might be key to taking back control from the algorithms.
bit.ly/4lYTZ4h
#RSS #AI #fediverse
L-R: FIR co-hosts Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson, Monsignor Paul Tighe, and guest FIR co-host Silvia Cambié.
In a new FIR Interview, @nevillehobson.xyz, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @silviacambie.bsky.social speak with Monsignor Paul Tighe from The Vatican on the ethical challenges AI poses to humanity, work, and dignity.
Tune in: 🎧 www.firpodcastnetwork.com/fir-intervie...
#AI #ethics #AntiquaEtNova
