Communications

How AI could help communications pros prove their value

Research is starting to arrive on the benefits of AI in the workplace.

Apr 17 • Paul Mackie

Rupert Murdoch’s path to creating an empire template for Trump

I loved seasons 1 and 2 of Succession and should probably get back to finishing seasons 3 and 4.

Apr 15 • Paul Mackie

Do LinkedIn posts actually help you get work? What I’m learning between full‑time jobs

Since around Thanksgiving, I’ve been able to get pretty far with building a website to help take on new communications projects, speaking to…

Feb 26 • Paul Mackie

Bernie Sanders's Vermont has greatly changed, but can it keep its unique feel?

Bernie Sanders is one of the few politicians I can regularly stomach.

Feb 13 • Paul Mackie

Can TV’s The Paper help revive community journalism in the U.S.?

I was shocked and pleasantly surprised to find The Paper so funny and touching.

Jan 28 • Paul Mackie

At TransportationCamp DC, Jarrett Walker calls for "freedom" in transit planning and storytelling

Jarrett Walker’s firm is based in Portland, Oregon and focuses on bus‑network design, but he suggested at TransportationCamp DC on Saturday that the…

Jan 12 • Paul Mackie

How to share your creativity publicly (without feeling gross about self‑promotion)

I recently wrote about Austin Kleon’s influential and powerful 2012 book Steal Like an Artist. It details how to harness our influences into making…

Dec 10, 2025 • Paul Mackie

Why smart communicators (and leaders) must embrace AI now

One of the reasons to love being in the communications field is that, whatever organization you’re working with, you get to have your fingers on the…

Nov 25, 2025 • Paul Mackie

Great Magazine Reads: False teeth, fireside chats, and Truth Social—A history of presidential communications

I’ve been on a bit of a break from my presidential pop-culture series, but I’ll be continuing soon from my last post about #4 James Madison.

Nov 20, 2025 • Paul Mackie

Copying from your heroes is alright, it will help you steal like an artist

The first rule of making art?

Nov 18, 2025 • Paul Mackie

Cities and their transportation systems are only as smart as the stories we tell about them

I couldn’t make it to this week’s 82 Alliance Conference in Nashville, but one session’s title grabbed me: “Are we too dumb for Smart Cities?

Nov 13, 2025 • Paul Mackie

Can pet sketches help communicate the importance of government work and bridge America’s political divide?

Earlier this month, I wrote about a friend’s creative outlet called the RocketBear Project, in which Denise Mortimer sketches the pets of federal…

Oct 28, 2025 • Paul Mackie

#nojs-banner { position: fixed; bottom: 0; left: 0; padding: 16px 16px 16px 32px; width: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; background: red; color: white; font-family: -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px; } #nojs-banner a { color: inherit; text-decoration: underline; } This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Please turn on JavaScript or unblock scripts