‘Gag orders all around’: Confessions of a comms professional on DEI backlash
By Kimeko McCoy
It’s been a month since President Trump signed an executive order targeting diversity, equity and inclusion policies, seemingly sending the backlash toward DEI into hyperdrive. Professionals across the board are feeling the ripple effects.
Multicultural marketing agencies braced for shrinking diversity budgets. Black-owned brands were caught in the crosshairs of retooled retailer DEI policies. Diverse publications questioned if media spend commitments will remain intact. Now, one communication professional says clients and sources that have agreed to press interviews about DEI in the past have suddenly gone quiet on the topic.
“I have never been shut down so fast by so many people. That’s never happened to me before, ever,” said a C-suite executive at an independent communications agency who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “I usually can find somebody to talk about this type of stuff and just gag orders all around.”
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Source:: Digiday
