The January installment of The Hobson & Holtz Report — which marks the beginning of the 17th year of FIR — includes reports on these stories:

* The 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer is one of the bleakest yet

* Communications and the U.S. presidential transition

* Business, communication, and the insurrectionist attack on the U.S. Capitol

* The future of misinformation

* Why CEOs Need to Amp Up Their Social Media Presence

* The Heinz bottle competition

* Dan York’s Tech Report covers the deplatforming of Parler, the new White House website, U.S. government analytics, and sea shanties on TikTok (and TikTok’s duet feature)

Our FIR recording sessions are now being streamed live, because why not? We already stream it in order to capture a backup recording on YouTube; we’ve just been making these restricted streams. We have decided to make them public so you can watch and comment. Our next recording is Saturday, February 22 at noon ET. You’ll see our pre-recording conversation as well as seeing how the sausage gets made. Watch here.

We are hosting an FIR Communicators Coffee Break on Zoom each Thursday during the stay-at-home period at 1 p.m. ET. For credentials needed to participate, contact Shel or Neville directly or request the credentials in our Facebook group or send an email to [email protected]. Spread the word to your communications community.

Special thanks to Jay Moonah for the opening and closing music.

You can find the stories from which Shel’s FIR content is selected at Shel’s Link Blog. Neville’s link blog, Outbox, is available, as well.

Links from This Month’s Episode

* Listen to FIR #1 from January 3, 2005

* Shel’s “Webcor at 50” podcast

* Circle of Fellows podcast: A look back at communications in 2020

* Politemail report on employees and click fatigue

* 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer

* 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer: Plague of Mistrust Follows COVID-19

* Technologists Use Facial Recognition on Parler Videos

* President Biden Swore In Hundreds Of Appointees On A Zoom Call

* President Biden Swears In Day One Presidential Appointees in a Virtual Ceremony (YouTube)

* New White House website includes a hidden recruitment message for coders

* As Americans Crave Stability After Capitol Attack, CEOs Step Into the Leadership Void

* Ben & Jerry’s Calls to “Impeach” Trump as Brands Like Coca-Cola and Chevron Break Their Silence on the Capitol Insurrection

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