Founded by a seasoned public information leader,
PDR Strategies delivers custom communications solutions
for corrections, public safety, healthcare, and more.
Decades of Public Sector Experience,
Now Working for You
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📘 Write It So They Can Publish It: Why AP-Style, Copy-and-Paste-Ready News Releases Get Used
Read more: 📘 Write It So They Can Publish It: Why AP-Style, Copy-and-Paste-Ready News Releases Get UsedNewsrooms are not what they used to be. Across the country, editors and reporters are doing more with fewer people, fewer hours, and tighter deadlines. Digital-first publishing cycles demand speed. Accuracy still matters. Context still matters. But time is the most constrained resource of all. For communicators, this creates a simple truth that is often overlooked: The easier you make…
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📘 Words Matter: Using Inclusive Language When Communicating About Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Read more: 📘 Words Matter: Using Inclusive Language When Communicating About Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental DisabilitiesPublic safety communications are often written under pressure. Tight timelines, limited information, and high stakes all play a role. In those moments, agencies rely on templates, past practice, and familiar phrasing to get critical information out quickly. That is understandable. It is also where outdated or unintentionally harmful language can slip in, especially when describing individuals with intellectual and developmental…
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📘 Sharpening the Craft: Why Professional Development Defines the Modern PIO
Read more: 📘 Sharpening the Craft: Why Professional Development Defines the Modern PIOPublic information is no longer a collateral duty. It is crisis leadership. It is digital strategy. It is misinformation management. It is executive advisement. It is reputation protection. It is public trust in motion. And professions that matter require training. The modern Public Information Officer cannot rely solely on experience. The pace of information, the complexity of media environments, and…
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📘 What the Super Bowl Teaches Us About Strategic Communication Under Pressure
Read more: 📘 What the Super Bowl Teaches Us About Strategic Communication Under PressureEvery year, the Super Bowl puts performance under a microscope. Not just athletic performance, but also leadership, preparation, discipline, and decision-making in an environment with no margin for error. For public information officers, the parallels are immediate and unmistakable. PIOs may not be operating under stadium lights, but they communicate in moments defined by intense scrutiny, incomplete information, emotional audiences,…
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📘 Not a Resolution, a Discipline: Excellence in Strategic Communication
Read more: 📘 Not a Resolution, a Discipline: Excellence in Strategic CommunicationA new year has a way of inviting reflection. For communicators, it often comes with questions: What worked? What didn’t? What do I want to do better this year? Most professionals set goals around output—more engagement, faster responses, cleaner writing. Those are worthy aims. But the most meaningful progress does not come from doing more. It comes from committing more…
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📘 New Year, New Message: Communication Resolutions That Actually Matter
Read more: 📘 New Year, New Message: Communication Resolutions That Actually MatterEvery January, we tell ourselves this is the year things will be different. This is the year we will be more organized. More proactive. More strategic. This is the year communications will not be an afterthought, a last-minute scramble, or a reaction to someone else’s decision. And yet, if you work in communications long enough, especially in public safety, government,…
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🎶 “Draft it Clear” 2025 Holiday Jingle
Read more: 🎶 “Draft it Clear” 2025 Holiday JingleDraft It Clear A 2025 holiday jingle by PDR Strategies. Wishing you and yours a very Happy Holiday Season! Remember to draft it clear! Lyrics: Draft it clear,Check the facts,Read it one more time,Every word and every lineShould inform, not amplify. Pause a beat,Think it through,Before you hit “send,”Clarity is kindness here,It’s how trust begins. Draft it clear,Say it straight,Context…
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📘 Five Things Every PIO Must Be Ready for in 2026
Read more: 📘 Five Things Every PIO Must Be Ready for in 2026The work of the public information officer continues to evolve. The pace is faster, expectations are higher, and the information environment is more complex than ever. Whether serving in public safety, municipal government, higher education, transportation, healthcare, or any other public-facing organization, PIOs must be prepared for new challenges and rising public expectations in 2026. Here are five priorities every…
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📘 Every Message Matters: Inclusion Begins with How We Communicate
Read more: 📘 Every Message Matters: Inclusion Begins with How We CommunicateDecember 3 marks the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, a global observance dedicated to recognizing the dignity, strengths, and contributions of people of all abilities. It is also a reminder that inclusion is not a box to check. It is a commitment that must be reflected in the way we treat people and the way we communicate every day.…
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📘 When Leaders Use Harmful Language: Why the R Word Has No Place in Public Communication
Read more: 📘 When Leaders Use Harmful Language: Why the R Word Has No Place in Public CommunicationLate last night, President Trump used the R word in a Truth Social post about the Minnesota Governor. Unfortunately, this is not the first time the word has surfaced in public conversation recently. The R word has been making a troubling comeback, often used to insult or belittle others in moments of frustration or conflict. This is a new low…
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📘 Gratitude Is a Strategy: A Thanksgiving Reflection for Communicators
Read more: 📘 Gratitude Is a Strategy: A Thanksgiving Reflection for CommunicatorsThanksgiving gives us an opportunity to slow down and appreciate the people and moments that make our work possible. For public information officers and communicators, gratitude is not only a personal value. It is a professional tool that shapes how we lead our teams, how we support our organizations, and how the public experiences our messages. When we are operating…
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📘 Live TV Is Not a Rehearsal: Lessons from American Airlines’ COO on GMA
Read more: 📘 Live TV Is Not a Rehearsal: Lessons from American Airlines’ COO on GMAWhen American Airlines’ Chief Operating Officer appeared on Good Morning America last week to discuss the government shutdown and Department of Transportation flight reductions, the stakes were high. With millions of travelers affected and national attention focused on air traffic control shortages and delays at TSA checkpoints, this was the airline’s chance to project calm, control, and confidence. Since then,…
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📘 When the Story Flips: Lessons from the Mark Sanchez Incident
Read more: 📘 When the Story Flips: Lessons from the Mark Sanchez IncidentEditor’s Note: This article reflects verified information as of November 3, 2025. Mark Sanchez faces felony battery charges related to an October 2025 incident in Indianapolis. The case remains active, with pre-trial hearings in November and a trial scheduled for December 11. When the first headlines broke that former NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez had been stabbed multiple times during a…
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📘 Losing the Room: What the Pentagon Press Fallout Teaches PIOs About Trust
Read more: 📘 Losing the Room: What the Pentagon Press Fallout Teaches PIOs About TrustIn mid-October, something remarkable happened at the Pentagon. After decades of working alongside defense reporters, nearly every major U.S. news outlet — Reuters, the Associated Press, The New York Times, and The Washington Post among them — packed up their desks, turned in their badges, and walked out of the Pentagon press workspace. Why? Because of a new media policy…
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📘 Fifteen Days of Silence: When Government Shuts Down, Communications Must Stay Open
Read more: 📘 Fifteen Days of Silence: When Government Shuts Down, Communications Must Stay OpenEditor’s note: As of October 15, 2025, the federal government shutdown has entered its 15th day. “Due to the lapse in federal funding, this account will not be updated until further notice.” Fifteen days later, that message continues to appear across dozens of official federal social media accounts. From the Department of Defense to the National Weather Service, the IRS…
