Seven things PR pros need to know on Monday morning, 12.29.2014

1. Leading the news cycle on Monday morning is the search for missing AirAsia Flight 8501, which disappeared early Sunday over the Java Sea. While search and rescue officials say the plane likely crashed, Indonesia’s vice president said objects floating in the water near where the flight disappeared are probably not from the plane.

#AirAsia8501 wasn't allowed to change altitude to avoid weather because of traffic. http://t.co/MaliFbavGI pic.twitter.com/kCwiaQJE9G

— NYT Graphics (@nytgraphics) December 29, 2014

2. Jason Baum, the chief communications officer of Rutgers University’s athletics department, resigned on Saturday. Local New Jersey media reported that he was pushed out by the college’s athletic director after a series of media gaffes of her own.

Spot-on column by @StevePoliti on Rutgers' rancid decision to scapegoat SID @JasonBaumRU. Consummate pro. http://t.co/VwIke5US2a

— Pete Thamel (@SIPeteThamel) December 28, 2014

3. New York City police commissioner Bill Bratton said on CBS News’ Face the Nation that it was "very inappropriate" for officers to turn their backs to Mayor Bill de Blasio while he was speaking at a memorial service for a slain officer. He added that he expects the rift between the mayor’s office and the police department to go on for a while.

4. The Interview has been downloaded or streamed more than 2 million times since it was released online on Wednesday. The film has made $18 million — $15 million in online sales and nearly $3 million in theaters.

The Interview becomes Sony's most-downloaded title of all time http://t.co/AVVHcaTqkF #BBCGoFigure pic.twitter.com/xhkSKV6YXZ

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) December 29, 2014

5. Facebook officials apologized to users offended by its auto-generated "year in review" feature, including a bereaved parent grieving over the loss of his daughter in 2014.

Facebook is sorry for making users relive their hellish years with its Year in Review app. http://t.co/FrENyyvcmr

— Gawker (@Gawker) December 29, 2014

6. Marriage equality trailblazer Edith Windsor told USA Today, where she was profiled as part of its 2014 People of the Year series, that she didn’t expect gay marriage to gain widespread acceptance as quickly as it did in recent years. Windsor was named PRWeek’s Communicator of the Year this March.  

7. The spokesperson for the Ferguson, Missouri, police department has been suspended after reportedly referring to a memorial for Michael Brown as a "pile of trash." 

Ferguson police spokesperson suspended for "pile of trash" comment http://t.co/wvdFJMTVp4 (Aaron Bernstein—Reuters) pic.twitter.com/oYo88QqD4S

— TIME.com (@TIME) December 29, 2014