In Brief: PR Pros Confront Phishing Schemes; Large Companies Revise DEI Disclosures

PR professionals and their clients have become targets for social media scammers posing as journalists, Axios reports. 

AI technology has made phishing more sophisticated. TechCrunch has reportedly acknowledged that fake social media accounts were impersonating the publication’s staff members, sending direct messages to business executives and requesting interviews. In one case, an executive responded and said a PR rep would be in touch. But then the purported journalist sent back a link to schedule an interview, raising alarms for the client and PR team.

At a time when securing positive press coverage has become more difficult, PR practitioners and their clients are often too quick to engage with social media messages from accounts claiming to represent reporters, said communications strategist Tania Zaparaniuk.

Scammers appear to be “targeting people who might be predisposed to moving at a fast pace,” she said. 

Conference Board: Large Companies Reducing, Rewording DEI Disclosures

Under political and regulatory scrutiny, many large U.S. companies are limiting or rewording disclosures about their diversity initiatives, a study by The Conference Board finds. In 2025, more than half of companies in the S&P 100 index (53%) changed their DEI statements in major filings.

At America’s largest firms, use of the abbreviation “DEI” in major filings to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission dropped by 68% compared to 2024. Some 21% of companies reduced or removed DEI-related metrics and targets.

Disclosures on workforce and board diversity are declining across the S&P 500, the research finds. From 2024 to 2025, the share of large U.S. companies that disclosed data on women in management fell by 16%, while disclosures on gender and racial diversity of board directors fell by 28% and 31%, respectively.

Publicly traded companies have decreased their use of DEI language that had been common in corporate America for years. The term “DEI” declined by 68%, while “diversity” dropped by 33%.

Older Workers Who Lose Jobs Face Rougher Road

Losing your job is tough, but the experience is even worse later in your career. The Wall Street Journal recently explored the challenges senior-level professionals face after a layoff, including an extended search period. In fact, citing research from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, 24% of professionals between 50 and 65 did not find a new job. 

In addition, when they lose their jobs, they often find it harder to get new ones that match their old paychecks. Older professionals who find new jobs take an 11% wage cut, on average, according to FTI Consulting. The pay cut was 15% for men and 7% for women.

Another obstacle, said Anqi Chen, associate director of savings and household finance at the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, is that there aren’t as many senior-level positions as there are entry-level or mid-level jobs.

“Too many employers still wrongly assume older workers are less tech savvy or will retire after a short period on jobs, when many people want or need to work well into their 60s, 70s or 80s,” said Debra Whitman, chief public-policy officer for AARP. 

College Professor Aims to Help Students, Teachers, Spot Online Falsehoods

A professor at the University of Rochester is encouraging students and teachers to recognize online misinformation. 

Kevin Meuwissen, an associate professor at the university’s Warner School of Education and Human Development, studies how children and teenagers evaluate evidence and form judgments about the truth of what they see and hear.

He refers teachers and students to the “SIFT” method for evaluating online content. Developed by digital literacy consultant Mike Caulfield, the acronym stands for: Stop, Investigate, Find and Trace. Headlines are often written to attract clicks by provoking emotional responses. Investigate the source. Find better coverage if the source seems untrustworthy. Trace claims to their origin.

Meuwissen has studied how emotional manipulation, along with AI-generated imagery and repeated exposure, can distort public understanding. In a phenomenon known as the “illusory truth effect,” repeated exposure to a lie can make it seem true. 

According to Meuwissen, educators can help establish classroom cultures in which inquiry and fact-checking are expected.