Tom Ciesielka

When the White House asks for a favor, it’s best to think carefully before you take action. Paul Schwartzman reported in the Washington Post that President Trump requested a Vincent van Gogh painting to put in his private living quarters at the White House. What the museum offered was a piece of art that was more functional,

You never know who the next hero is going to be. Jean Mackin’s story, “11-year-old saves choking friend with lesson learned from dad,” is about how a boy used the Heimlich maneuver on a girl who was choking on a lollipop.  It was a life-saving skill that his dad taught him, and it reminded me

With all the complexities with the Russian scandal in the White House, it seems like President Trump should not have delegated his Russian relationships to his son. However, delegating tasks seems to be the trend, not just in politics, but in business as well.  The BBC’s Catherine Snowdon describes how companies have set up ways to take

When we’re going to have a baby, we love to tell people about it. However, when was the last time a baby announcement could land you in jail? Alastair Lawson reports in the BBC News that a man shot an exploding target to announce his wife’s pregnancy. It sent billowing blue smoke into the air and

There is a famous saying that came out of Chicago’s City News Bureau: “If your mother says she loves you, check it out.” Unfortunately, not everyone follows that advice.  A story on National Public Radio by Cory Turner describes how students are being trained to spot fake news. They look at viral stories and ads, and

Attorney Jordan Margolis thought he’d come up with a great gimmick that would help his reputation, but it ended up becoming a sad joke when he got into serious trouble.  Steve Schmadeke described in the Chicago Tribune how Margolis created a book about a comic superhero called “Excuseman.” He even donned a cape to look like

In 1976, Republican Congressman Henry Hyde of Illinois successfully barred the use of federal funds to pay for abortion in most circumstances, and the 40th anniversary of the passage of the Hyde Amendment was on September 30th. Here are 5 ways that life advocacy groups can use the opportunity to build awareness about the law:

Public relations solutions can be simple. Reporter Chris Lusvardi illustrated this point in the Herald & Review newspaper when he described how a man used a low-tech mode of transportation to get to a courthouse in Decatur: he rode a horse. Attorneys can take away three principles from this man’s resourcefulness (which ended up getting

You shouldn’t have to wait for a public relations crisis to create an effective publicity plan. You can develop a successful public relations strategy anytime, even when there doesn’t seem to be any breaking news. Here’s a “crash course” of four tips you can start working on right now:  1 – Ask yourself these three