The communications field has always had its share of bold-faced names, but the industry was more often found toiling behind the scenes.

As information trickled into the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority on June 23 about what would become the deadliest train crash in its history, the organization, known to locals as the Metro, coordinated an outreach effort focused on reaching metropolitan-area residents via local media.

This week's Ketchum-Pleon merger creates a single firm entity of great size and scope.

The US Chamber of Commerce, the American Medical Association, and several drugmakers have separately stepped out in the past week and voiced their opposition to several of President Barack Obama's plans for healthcare, energy, and business reform.

General Motors Corp. (GM) entered the second largest bankruptcy filing in industrial history on June 1.

On the Catholic Church's World Communications Day this past Sunday, May 24, Pope Benedict XVI went out with a message supporting the use of social media, and the Pontifical Council for Social Communications supported his message with the introduction of Pope2You, a Web portal.

From Dell's female-focused Della site to Mars Snackfood's new candy bar Fling, there's been buzz in the online space about marketers not understanding how to speak to women, and instead tripping over the thin pink line distinguishing women's passion points from tired clichés.

On his first full day in the Oval Office - a time typically filled with grand, symbolic gestures - President Barack Obama signed an executive order mandating all departments and agencies to "establish a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration."

As more and more eyeballs migrate online, e-retailers stand to reap the benefits if they smartly market to these audiences.

The specter of potential liability over blogger endorsements is raising questions from PR pros