August 28, 2025
Welcome to The L@B Report
Welcome to this month’s issue of The L@B Report from GSG, bringing you news and insights from the intersection of digital media and public affairs. In this issue, we discuss The White House’s official TikTok account and the revival of print magazines in the U.S.
This issue of The L@B Report was put together by Ryan Alexander.
In the News
The White House Launches an Official TikTok Account
Another sign that TikTok is likely here to stay, despite technically being banned in the U.S.
Earlier this month, the White House officially launched a TikTok account and shared clips of President Donald Trump declining calls from members of Congress and threatening lawsuits.
In addition to circumventing TikTok’s current legal ban in the U.S., the White House account seems to also defy government guidelines restricting federal employees from using TikTok on government devices due to security concerns.
Takeaway
The White House’s TikTok launch likely didn’t go as well as Trump hoped as the account was instantly flooded with negative comments about the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
While it was Trump who started the call to ban TikTok back in 2020 over concerns that the Communist Party of China may be able to access American user data, he has taken a different approach in his second term. Despite the Supreme Court upholding the law that bans TikTok if it is not sold to an American company, Trump has extended the sale deadline multiple times.
With the current deadline coming up on September 17, it seems highly unlikely that Trump will let the ban go into effect now that he has an official presence on the app.
Print Magazines Are Making a Comeback
The Spectator plans to double its print edition in the U.S.
According to Axios, The Spectator, a weekly political and cultural news magazine, plans to double its print edition in the U.S. to 24 issues annually and is part of a broader industrywide print resurgence in the U.S.
The Spectator’s deputy editor, Kate Andrews told Axios that when they offer print as part of a package, “it tends to attract new readers.”
Axios also notes that, “for advertisers, subscription print magazines offer a highly engaged audience that’s hard to come by in the AI era.”
Takeaway
At GSG, we’ve long used print advertising – particularly inside the Beltway – to reach key audiences such as policymakers and decision-makers who still get hard copies of publications such as The Washington Post, POLITICO, The Hill, and others delivered to their offices.
As print comes back into fashion with other elite audiences, communications and public affairs professionals should pay attention to new print advertising options as part of their marketing campaigns.
More from GSG
Last week, Global Strategy Group was named as a finalist for the PRNEWS Platinum Awards recognizing our work launching the Vision for American Science and Technology (VAST). At a time when scientific enterprise is under threat, we helped spotlight this important initiative to chart the future of U.S. science, tech, and innovation.
Huge thank you to the Science & Technology Action Committee, Research!America, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and all the VAST partners who made this launch a success.