Karoline Leavitt & PR Week: Who Should Make the Industry’s Power List?
PR Week’s decision to include White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on its 2025 Power List has ignited a heated debate in the communications field. The Power List is designed to recognize influence and impact, not necessarily ethics or excellence. But many question whether elevating Leavitt reflects power…or undermines the profession’s credibility.
Enter a panel hosted by Proven Media Solutions founder Dustin Siggins, starring:
Blair Huddy of Hudson Davis Communications, who argued that Leavitt doesn’t truly wield power herself—the position does. She named past press secretaries who lost influence after leaving the office, and expressed concern that PR Week was legitimizing harmful messaging. She tied the uproar back to her own viral post, which highlighted how quickly public sentiment online can damage a brand.
Consultant Jeremy Tunis acknowledged his personal dislike for President Donald Trump, but emphasized the pragmatic reality: the White House Press Secretary holds extraordinary influence, regardless of politics. He also noted that PR Week, as a journalistic outlet, ranks people based on power, not moral virtue—similar to Time Magazine’s history of controversial “Person of the Year” picks.
Strategic Global Media’s Scott Merritt took the most black-and-white view. The list is about power, not ethics, he said. Whether or not Leavitt is admired, she is the public voice of the most powerful office in the world. By definition, the role belongs on the list—just as past press secretaries from both parties have appeared.
Dustin underscored that this isn’t just a debate about one individual, but about how the profession defines power. He noted that PR Week’s inclusion decision, while controversial, reflects the reality that influence and power are separate from integrity.
The Power of the Press Secretary
One reason the controversy runs so deep is that the White House Press Secretary wields a unique form of power. While the authority comes from proximity to the president, the role often serves as a launching pad for lasting influence in and beyond Washington.
Jay Carney, after serving as President Obama’s press secretary, became Amazon’s top communicator and now leads global communications at Airbnb. Josh Earnest, another Obama-era spokesperson, now oversees communications for United Airlines and was named #23 on the list (six spots behind Leavitt). First Trump term press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders leveraged her White House experience into being a governor.
This track record illustrates that the press secretary is more than a temporary mouthpiece. The position confers credibility, visibility, and connections that often translate into major roles in business, politics, and media. In that sense, the role itself embodies both positional and transferable power, regardless of who occupies it.
Power vs. Ethics in PR
Beyond Leavitt, many of those named to the Power List have controversy attached to their names or the organizations with which they represent. And, sometimes, those controversies are subjective to the nature of one’s personal values.
Watch the full debate to see where each participant fell on what ethics should be prioritized, as well as what that means when serving clients.
