1. Leading the news cycle on Friday morning is the shooting death of four Marines in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Thursday. Authorities are investigating a possible link to terrorist groups. Not much is known about the alleged shooter, identified as 24-year-old, Kuwait-born Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez. President Barack Obama called the incident "heartbreaking."
2. Reddit is cracking down on bullying and illegal content, said CEO Steve Huffman on Thursday. However, Re/code’s Noah Kulwin wonders if the changes are a "Band-Aid on a broken leg." A number of top communications executives told PRWeek this week that they’ve reconsidered encouraging clients to take part in Ask Me Anything sessions since the reported firing of Victoria Taylor and its messy aftermath.
3. Facebook will soon only make marketers pay if their ads play in their entirety on users’ screens, according to The Wall Street Journal. The social network now charges brands on an impression basis as soon as their ads appear.
4. Top executives at Toshiba were involved in a company-wide accounting scandal, according to an investigation by Reuters. The company is planning to take up to $3 billion in charges due to six years of improper accounting.
5. Gawker is under fire after it published a post saying a senior executive at Conde Nast was cheating on his wife by hiring a gay prostitute for $2,500. Re/code’s Kara Swisher called the post "an appalling act of gay-shaming disguised as a story."
6. Another poll has Donald Trump at the top of the Republican field for president. The new poll from Fox News finds Jeb Bush and Scott Walker are the only other GOP candidates with double-digit support. Meanwhile, yet another poll finds trouble spots for Hillary Clinton with unions.
The 6 things PR pros need to know on Friday morning, 7.17.2015
Reddit vows to get rid of bullying; Facebook weighs marketing charge changes; Polls show trouble for frontrunners in both parties.
