July appears quiet. It isn’t.

This episode outlines why summer is a high-risk period for reputation management. With newsroom staffing reduced and audience attention low, deeper stories start brewing. Reporters have more time. Leadership is often distracted. That’s when reputational cracks start to widen.

The timing is rarely accidental. Many of the biggest PR crises in recent years—from Lizzo’s lawsuit to Drew Barrymore’s strike backlash—began simmering in July and erupted by September.

What’s covered:

• How reduced oversight and lower engagement create space for reputational damage
• The patterns behind summer stories that spiral
• Case examples including Diddy, Cuomo, Barrymore, Lizzo, Fallon, Baldoni, and Lively
• The role of social media in sustaining backlash
• Why July is a critical window for transparency, not silence

Also featured: a breakdown of how MuckRack supports proactive monitoring and sentiment tracking.

Referenced Stories:

• Sean Combs trial
• Andrew Cuomo's primary upset
• Lizzo legal fallout
• Writers strike flashpoints
• Celebrity missteps and media strategy

Key takeaway:
July is not the time to disappear. For anyone managing a sensitive narrative, this is the moment to speak before being spoken about.

Want More Behind the Breakdown?
Follow The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson on Substack for early access to podcast episodes, exclusive member chats, weekly lives, and monthly workshops that go deeper than the mic. It's the insider’s hub for communicators who want strategy with spine—and a little side-eye where it counts.

Follow Molly → @MollyMcPherson
Subscribe to PR Breakdown on Substack → prbreakdown.media

Need a Keynote Speaker? Drawing from real-world PR battles, Molly delivers the same engaging stories and hard-won crisis insights from the podcast to your live audience. Click here to book Molly for your next meeting.

This podcast is supported by Muck Rack, the PR management platform I use to monitor media coverage, track journalist activity, and inform high-stakes strategy with real-time data. Learn more at https://muckrack.com

Follow & Connect with Molly:

• https://www.youtube.com/mollymcpherson
• https://www.tiktok.com/@mollybmcpherson
• ...

In this live edition of The PR Breakdown, Molly McPherson is joined by Warren Weeks and John Perenak, the hosts of the Reputation Town podcast, to explore the widening gap between journalism and public trust. The conversation centers on CNN’s Jake Tapper and his new book with Alex Thompson, Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again.

Is this book a mea culpa? A career pivot? Or a strategic move to rebuild credibility?

• The reputation strategy behind Tapper’s timing
• Whether journalists should profit from stories they once protected
• How media control is shifting from legacy outlets to podcasters and independent creators
• Why access journalism is losing public trust
• The pressure journalists face when reporting truth conflicts with institutional loyalty

This episode is not just about one book or one anchor. It’s about the changing role of journalism, the rise of independent media, and the challenge of earning trust in today’s media environment.

If you work in communications, follow the news closely, or just want to understand what’s really happening behind the headlines, this conversation is for you.

Want More Behind the Breakdown?
Follow The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson on Substack for early access to podcast episodes, exclusive member chats, weekly lives, and monthly workshops that go deeper than the mic. It's the insider’s hub for communicators who want strategy with spine—and a little side-eye where it counts.

Follow Molly → @MollyMcPherson
Subscribe to PR Breakdown on Substack → prbreakdown.media

Need a Keynote Speaker? Drawing from real-world PR battles, Molly delivers the same engaging stories and hard-won crisis insights from the podcast to your live audience. Click here to book Molly for your next meeting.

This podcast is supported by Muck Rack, the PR management platform I use to monitor media coverage, track journalist activity, and inform high-stakes strategy with real-time data. Learn more at https://muckrack.com

Follow & Connect with Molly:

• https://www.youtube.com/mollymcpherson
• https://www.tiktok.com/@mollybmcpherson
• ...

Tyler Perry is facing a $260 million sexual harassment lawsuit from actor Derek Dixon—and his legal team wasted no time calling it a “scam” and “shakedown.” That move may work in court. It won’t hold up in the court of public opinion.

In this episode, I break down:

• How aggressive legal statements create reputational damage
• Why pattern recognition is the biggest risk to Perry’s brand
• The Christian Keyes video circulating online and its unspoken implications
• What Perry’s team should have said instead—and why it matters

From the “Lizzo Effect” to the gap between legal and reputation risk, this is a classic case of what happens when a billion-dollar brand forgets that beloved status is earned—and easily revoked.

Strategic Takeaway: Defensive desperation destroys trust faster than the allegation itself.

Want More Behind the Breakdown?
Follow The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson on Substack for early access to podcast episodes, exclusive member chats, weekly lives, and monthly workshops that go deeper than the mic. It's the insider’s hub for communicators who want strategy with spine—and a little side-eye where it counts.

Follow Molly → @MollyMcPherson
Subscribe to PR Breakdown on Substack → prbreakdown.media

Need a Keynote Speaker? Drawing from real-world PR battles, Molly delivers the same engaging stories and hard-won crisis insights from the podcast to your live audience. Click here to book Molly for your next meeting.

This podcast is supported by Muck Rack, the PR management platform I use to monitor media coverage, track journalist activity, and inform high-stakes strategy with real-time data. Learn more at https://muckrack.com

Follow & Connect with Molly:

• https://www.youtube.com/mollymcpherson
• https://www.tiktok.com/@mollybmcpherson
• ...