GivingTuesday, COP28, and Other Public Interest News Trends 

A look at the policy and public interest news from PR Newswire in November and December that you might have missed.

By Nikita Lero | Published Jan. 4, 2024

From Veterans Day to GivingTuesday, we had no shortage of must-read content sent out these past two months in the policy and public interest industries. In this recap, we will discuss some of the biggest trends in this sector, like COP28, and share some releases tied to the trends. We will also cover the most-read releases over the past two months that you might have missed.

Some of the Most Popular Policy & Public Interest Releases

PR Newswire issued more than 3,520 press releases tied to policy and public interest in November and December, with the following as some of the most viewed:

• Dr. Henry Kissinger, historic American statesman, died at 100.
• The Economist shared its special end-of-the-year issue, The World Ahead, which includes important trends, themes, and events that will shape the new year.
• The Salvation Army kicked off its 133rd Annual Red Kettle Campaign with Dolly Parton's halftime performance during the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game.

Policy and Public Interest News Trends

Throughout November and December a few trends keep reoccurring, let’s take a deeper look.

Veterans Day

Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day and commemorated the end of World War I. Over time, and more wars, it was changed to Veterans Day to honor all American veterans of all wars. This past Veterans Day we saw quite a few companies and organizations announce how they are giving back to the veteran communities. We saw more than 90 releases related to Veterans Day in November and December, including:

• According to AARP data, caregivers of veterans spend, on average, $11,500 of their personal income on out-of-pocket costs related to caregiving specifically each year, 1.5 times higher than other family caregivers.
• Wounded Warrior Project hosted livestreaming and gameplay during Warrior Week – the week of Veterans Day.
• A new USAA-sponsored survey revealed that nearly 70% of younger military/veterans say they feel uncomfortable or awkward being thanked for their service.
• Purina Dog Chow and actor Anthony Ramos awarded Huey, the PTSD service dog, the Service Dog of Visible Impact Award.
• Handel’s Ice Cream in Long Beach and Downy, California, led a month-long campaign with AMVETS ONE for Veteran Suicide Prevention.  

GivingTuesday

GivingTuesday, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, was started in 2012 and since its conception has seen many corporations, organizations, and individuals come together to transform communities and the world through generosity. We saw over 80 press releases mentioning GivingTuesday during November and December, including:

• Dave Bautista and ASPCA teamed up, calling on all animal lovers to help provide meals, shelter, and care for rescued animals in need.
• (RED) kicked off the holiday season on GivingTuesday with the Holiday Edit – a guide to giving, gifting, and saving lives.
• Applegate and Justin’s joined forces in support of Conscious Alliance for its 2023 Stop Hunger In Its Tracks holiday meal campaign.  
• Instacart ran its third annual GivingTuesday campaign, donating up to 1 million servings of fruits and vegetables.
• St. Baldrick’s Foundation celebrated GivingTuesday by announcing a one-day donation goal of $50,000.

COP28

COP28, the UN Climate Change Conference, ran from November 30 through December 13, 2023. The event brought together leaders from around the world to agree on policies to help limit global temperature rises and adapt to the impacts associated with climate change.

This year, the conference was extended until December 13 before agreements had been reached and resolutions were shared. Over the past two months, we distributed nearly 400 releases mentioning COP28 including:

• OceanX hosted events and panels about ocean science, technology, education, and media at COP28.
• Iberostar Group unveiled its new roadmap focused on its commitment to circular economy principles. It features progress on decarbonization, waste management, and reduction of single-use plastics.
• Girl Rising shared an open letter by the 2023 Future Rising program ahead of the event.
• Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power presented solutions for net-zero future.  
• Environment and Climate Change Canada shared several daily highlights from COP28 - like those from November 27 and December 6.
• The British Council highlighted its commitment to climate action at COP28, leveraging its strengths in arts, culture, and education.

Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's passing

This December saw the passing of the first woman on the Supreme Court, Sandra Day O’Connor.  Justice O’Connor was appointed to the Supreme Court by Ronald Reagan and she served from 1981 until 2006. In 2009, President Barack Obama awarded Justice O’Connor with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. We saw quite a few releases regarding Justice O’Connor and her legacy. Here are a few:

• iCivics, which was founded by Justice O’Connor, looked back at her career as one of the country’s foremost advocates for civic education.
• The Alzheimer’s Association shared its mourning of Justice O’Connor’s passing. She dealt with Alzheimer’s with her husband and was a member of the Alzheimer’s Study Group in 2009.
• The National Center for State Courts (NCSC) said goodbye to long-time friend and supporter Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
• The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute issued a statement regarding Justice O’Connor, noting President Reagan’s praise of her ‘"fairness, intellectual capacity, and devotion to the public good."

Looking Ahead

As we head into 2024, we expect the political campaigning to heat up more and more. Our team will be keeping an eye on policy-related press releases and any trends. We also have some events and holidays that should see some releases surrounding them, like the World Economic Forum (Jan. 15-19), Black History Month, Random Acts of Kindness Day (Feb. 17), and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (Jan. 15).

We'll be watching for stories like these and more in the policy and public interest fields. Stay tuned for the next recap!

About the Author

Nikita Lero is a Senior Distribution Customer Support Specialist at Cision PR Newswire and been with the company since 2014. Outside of work, she enjoys creative writing, reading, checking out the latest restaurants, gaming, and cuddling with her cat, Ambrose.