Articles

The Public Apology: Sorry, not sorry – well, maybe, but it depends

By Caroline Conkle

FORT WORTH – Organizations should stop apologizing every time they are criticized online. That’s the argument Josh Bentley, Ph.D., made last week at a September 3 professional development program from the Greater Fort Worth Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).

Bentley, a public relations scholar at Texas Christian University, spoke about his new book, “Devaluing Public Apologies in the Age of Social Media.” With a full house in TCU’s Dee J. Kelly Alumni & Visitor Center ballroom, Bentley described how public apologies are viewed as less sincere and less meaningful due to the frequency with which organizations apologize. He said cancel culture and polarization play a role in the disregard for most apologies today.

Audience member Kendal Clark, the Web Manager at the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at TCU, shared some of her takeaways.

“He talked a lot about apologies and how they are phasing out because people aren’t feeling that satisfaction anymore from receiving those apologies, and I think that has a lot to do also with cancel culture phasing out,” she said. “Cancel culture was such a widespread thing, and it was something that you were hearing everywhere, with YouTubers apologizing for things they were getting caught on, and now people are just not entertained by it anymore.”

Reilly Ternan, a TCU alumna and Digital Communication Specialist at Cook Children’s Health Care System, shared her excitement for the event and pride for her former communication law professor.

“I was a student of Professor Bentley in 2020 during COVID,” Ternan said. “So, I was really excited to hear him speak. We have been looking forward to this for weeks ever since we heard it was booked.”

The Bob Schieffer College of Communication sponsored the event with appearances from both Dean Kristie Bunton and Associate Dean Julie O’Neil.

Shadow Day Gives Students Firsthand Experience with Professional World of PR

Communication and PR students from universities in the DFW area had the opportunity to shadow Greater Fort Worth Chapter of PRSA members at their places of work to gain firsthand experience in the world of professional communications. This was part of the chapter’s Shadow Day which took place Thursday, May 29, 2025.

After a morning of shadowing, the Key School and Training Center hosted the students and professionals for lunch and a panel discussion featuring a trio communication pros: Andra Bennett, APR, Kim Brown, APR, and Reggie Johnson, APR, on the topic of public relations career insights. 

The event was organized by New Professionals/Student Liaison Chair, Detavious Hill. “I had the opportunity to work with some amazing students and colleagues to bring this day to life,” he said.

Six students shadowed professionals at five organizations that spanned the nonprofit, education, healthcare and agency sectors, including:

• Christ Haven
• Cook Children’s
• Key School and Training Center
• Story and Strategy PR
• UNT Health Science Center

The students shadowed their hosts in meetings, content creation, strategy planning, and more. The participants all wanted to know when the chapter was going to do this again!

“I’m incredibly grateful to GFW PRSA for hosting this event and to all the professionals who took the time to mentor and inspire students like me,” said Erika Power, a UTA graduate student and Communication Director for her school’s PRSSA Chapter. 

“It’s extremely important to connect with students as they gear up for graduation and beyond,” said Hill. “Similar to my experience, many students feel a great deal of imposter syndrome and unpreparedness, so hopefully with programs like this, together we can shape the future of our professions.”

During the panel, Bennett shared fascinating stories from the front lines of PR. “We’re storytellers, and with 35 years in this biz, I have more than a few to share,” she said. They involved themes such as not chasing the next shiny object and the importance of detailed communication with your team when planning an event.

Greater Fort Worth Chapter President Reggie Johnson said “I find it rewarding that by reflecting on what I’ve learned and how I’ve grown through my own career, I can help support and empower students and young professionals at the same time.” He added, “For us seasoned professionals this takes us full circle… Each of us depended on the support of others to get our own careers established.” 

He urged students to respond to both successes and failures by always asking, “What can I learn from this?”

“I know it’s scary venturing into something new, but if you’re lucky, you’ll do it over and over again,” said Brown. “We build resilience by putting ourselves out there. Like I tell myself every day… just keep swimming.”

Johnson says that the chapter prioritizes its communications and PR students because, “they are the future of our profession — and we believe in them to make that future a bright one!”

A big thank you to Detavious for organizing this event, to Key School and Training Center for hosting our lunch program and panel discussion, and to each organization that hosted a student! 

And of course, thank you to our students for your enthusiasm for learning and growing in your own careers!