Is social media still “social”? In #FIRpodcast 505,
@nevillehobson.xyz and I explore Hootsuite’s 2026 Trends report, addressing social as search, AI vs authenticity, and more.
Plus a darker question – what if AI starts to dominate the conversation?
🎧💻 bit.ly/4bhc7DJ
FIR 505
Is social media still “social”? In #FIRpodcast 505, @shelholtz.bsky.social and I explore Hootsuite’s 2026 Trends report, addressing social as search, AI vs authenticity, and more.
Plus a darker question – what if AI starts to dominate the conversation?
🎧💻 bit.ly/4bhc7DJ
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
🤖 Are companies using AI as a convenient explanation for layoffs? In #FIRpodcast 504, Shel and I discuss “AI washing” – when organisations blame workforce cuts on AI even when the reality is more complicated.
A difficult ethical space for communicators.
🎧💻 bit.ly/4davVtO
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
A leader can build goodwill for days... and lose it in seconds.
In #FIRpodcast 503, @nevillehobson.xyz & @shelholtz.bsky.social 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
FIR podcast episode 502.
In #FIRpodcast 502, @shelholtz.bsky.social and @nevillehobson.xyz 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
FIR podcast 501
AI isn’t replacing communicators – it may be increasing their value.
In #FIRpodcast 501, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz explore why companies are hiring “chief storytellers” – and why the shift from messaging to meaning could redefine our role.
🎧💻 bit.ly/4aUFj32
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
FIR 500: AI abuse in the workplace
In #FIRpodcast 500, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz 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.
FIR 499: When silence becomes a statement
PRSA says staying “apolitical” protects credibility. In #FIRpodcast 499, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz ask a harder question: what happens to credibility, truth and standards when ethical leadership 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
FIR Interview podcast with Philippe Borremans
Most crises aren’t sudden. AI, trust erosion, and compound risks expose how unprepared organisations 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
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 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 and I discuss confidence gaps, agentic AI, and why communicators now sit at the centre of trust, meaning, and change.
🎧💻 www.firpodcastnetwork.com/fir-497-ceos...
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
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
New post: "If AI Touched It, You Must Verify It." AI can sound confident while inventing sources, studies, and URLs. Verification and fact-checking are now a core professional skill – not optional.
This theme keeps resurfacing on #FIRpodcast for good reason.
🔗 www.nevillehobson.io/if-ai-touche...
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 490: What is AI Reading?
AI studies claim to show what models actually “read”. But the sources shift month to month, and many citations aren’t reliable at all.
In #FIRpodcast 490, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz unpack what this means for communicators trying to stay visible – and accurate.
🎧 bit.ly/48cZLen
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 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
#FIRpodcast 480 just dropped: a rich follow-up to our July interview with the Vatican's Paul Tighe.
In this episode, @silviacambie.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz reflect on AI, ethics, dignity – and what communicators must do next.
🔗 www.firpodcastnetwork.com/fir-480-refl...
#AI #Ethics #Comms
#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...
