Energy trading corporation Enron has hired "two of the nation's most respected strategic communications firms--Kekst & Company and The Brunswick Group" according to the Holmes Report. The firms have been working with Enron to assist with crisis communications as the company begins bankruptcy proceedings. Holmes reports Kekst has handled numerous projects requiring crisis management for Enron over the years, starting with a crisis involving the company's Puerto Rican water operations. This time Kekst was called in when Enron's financial troubles became public.

The terror attacks have made what was already a severe advertising downturn even worse for cash-strapped publications. Advertisers are taking advantage of the downturn by nibbling away at editorial independence, asking for more marketing freebies, better placement and bigger discounts. Wall Street Journal reporter Matthew Rose describes how the Ford Motor Company pressured Rolling Stone publisher Rob Gregory to offer free publicity for a music tour promoting the Ford Focus.

The PR distribution firm PR Newswire is happy to report on its member's only Media Insider website that "mainstream media organizations are making more frequent use of PR-generated photos. ... Some 4,000 photos in PR Newswire's archive are now downloaded every month by media organizations. ... (C)ost-cutting news outlets are looking for ways to stretch their photo budgets, and will rely on free corporate photography whenever they can."