A Christmas story

One of the most successful examples of storytelling is currently trickling down on us incessantly: Christmas and the proclamation of the good news. The forthcoming festivities not only make children’s eyes sparkle, but have for generations also brought excitement to entire religions and peoples. Whether the Christmas story actually happened this way remains to be seen. To ensure that true stories of our time find their way into reputable news portals and print media, we are once again supporting the valuable work of “Journalists in Exile” with a donation this year.

With this in mind, we wish you a merry and peaceful Christmas!

The value of media

“The media is a prerequisite for a functioning democracy and is considered the fourth estate, which is why we need high-quality journalism,” stressed former Minister Maria Rauch-Kallat at the 25th Congress of Women Journalists in Vienna. Clemens Pig, managing director of the Austrian Press Agency (APA) and author of the recently published book “Democracy Dies in Darkness”, also stressed the importance of fact-based journalism at an event organised by comm:unications at the House of EU. “Fake news, disinformation and AI are a major threat to democracy,” said the media expert, adding that it is therefore urgently necessary to critically scrutinise sources.

Whistleblowing law now applies to SMEs

The EU Whistleblowing Directive, which previously only applied to companies with 250 or more employees, will become mandatory for companies with 50 or more employees from 17 December. The aim is to encourage people to report wrongdoing – without fear of repercussions or employment law consequences. Companies will be required to set up an internal reporting system, such as digital whistleblower software or a telephone hotline. Failure to do so could result in fines of up to €40,000.

New clients for comm:unications

Leasys, the international mobility service provider, is stepping up its media activities and has hired comm:unications’ PR experts to handle its press and public relations in Austria with immediate effect. The goal of the Stellantis & Crédit Agricole subsidiary is to get more climate-friendly vehicles on Europe’s roads and to speed up the transition to electric mobility. comm:unications is also helping to speed up the new EU project BELC, which aims to connect Austrian municipalities.

Mailings for beauty

Since 2022, comm:unications has been supporting the Austrian family business Croma Pharma, which specialises in minimally invasive aesthetic treatments and skin care. Selected editors have just received a journalist mailing. Products from the Farewell line and various face masks were made available for testing.

The culture editors received aesthetics in the artistic sense in the form of an art catalogue by Wolf Werdigier and Julian Schutting, both luminaries in their field. The catalogue contains images and texts in dialogue with each other.

Networking for the European Parliament

In the super election year 2024, Austria will hold the European Parliament elections in June in addition to the national elections. To encourage people to make use of their right to vote and to motivate others to go to the ballot box, comm:unications is organising a series of networking and workshops for NGOs on behalf of the European Parliament. In a “train the trainer” approach, NGO managers are being trained in communication skills – from campaigning and clear messaging to copywriting and storytelling.

Inside the agency: Welcome Ladies!

Türkan Köksal and Michaela Pointner joined comm:unications in November. Türkan Köksal is a Senior Consultant with many years of experience in PR, especially in the financial sector, and a valuable addition to the team of consultants. Michaela Pointner is getting her first taste of agency life as an intern. Born in Linz, she recently completed her bachelor’s degree in marketing and communication at the University of Applied Sciences in St. Pölten.

Happy holidays and a great start to 2024!

Your comm:unications team