Fighting PR’s ‘crazy’ ageism

Fighting PR’s ‘crazy’ ageism

From Beyond the Noise - the PRWeek podcast by PRWeek

April 15, 2026 · 38 min · Episode 157

About this episode

The episode discusses ageism in the PR industry and features insights from experts on overcoming this issue.

How can PR overcome its ageism problem? That’s the topic of PRWeek’s latest podcast. Joining us this week is Madeleine Weightman, co-founder of The Work Crowd, which co-produced a  recent study showing that comms is among the most-affected industries when it comes to age discrimination. Our other guest is Ginny Paton, founder and MD of Ready or Not and president of Women in PR, which has also looked at the issues. Beyond the Noise looks at some of the biggest issues affecting communications and PR. Download the podcast via  Apple ,  Spotify , or listen in the browser above or on your favourite platform. Speaking to PRWeek UK editor John Harrington, our guests discuss the main findings of the report, which was produced with Hanson Search and surveyed more than 200 senior industry leaders. They look at some of the stereotypes about older workers in comms and discuss why they persist, and why our industry doesn’t appear to value experience more. The guests discuss why ageism can affect women more than men. They offer advice for employers, and to employees who may have been affected. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: John Harrington

Guests: Madeleine Weightman, Ginny Paton

Topics covered

  • ageism
  • public relations
  • communications
  • workplace discrimination
  • industry stereotypes

Keywords

  • ageism
  • public relations
  • discrimination
  • workplace
  • experience
  • comms industry

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Work Crowd, Ready or Not, Women in PR, Hanson Search

More episodes of Beyond the Noise - the PRWeek podcast

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Beyond the Noise - the PRWeek podcast podcast page.