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This study aims to examine the impact of the Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) certification on the leader development of US diverse practitioners.

The study involved six online focus groups with 64 APRs who identified as diverse practitioners and APR chairs who supported and mentored diverse candidates.

Diverse practitioners identified specific knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) that they developed through the APR study process, which are consistent with those desired in leaders such as technical, relationship management and conceptual skills. Not only did diverse practitioners become more strategic thinkers and skilled in the public relations planning process, but they also were promoted or hired into management positions. Effective mentors were key to their success. These findings confirm that the APR can be a form of leader development for diverse public relations practitioners that opens doors to management positions. However, employers need to provide instrumental support for diverse practitioners to be successful, such as covering costs associated with the exam, providing study time and supporting their membership in professional associations.

Based on the theoretical framework of self-efficacy and a lifelong learning mindset, the study reveals the value of the APR in preparing diverse practitioners for leadership roles, which can be a resource to address the gap in diverse leaders in the public relations industry.

This article problematizes the concept of freedom rooted in liberalism, examining the detention of historian Ilan Pappe by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at Detroit Airport in the United States as an emblematic case study.

The research adopts a methodological triangulation approach, based on an analysis that combines data about the event and theories about the concept of freedom, problematizing authors who focused on the relationship between the individual and society in a liberal context, where individualism serves as the basis for specific conceptions of social relations.

Through the use of authors such as John Stuart Mill and John Locke, as well as the contributions of authors like Norbert Elias, it is argued that true freedom is relational, rooted in social interdependencies and the social construction of an individuality that is not individualistic but intrinsically linked to collective aspects.

Pappe’s case illustrates the tensions between individual freedom and collective interests, highlighting the need to reassess freedom of expression in complex political and social contexts.

This article proposes a more inclusive and interconnected view of human freedom, where individual and collective interests are negotiated within a dynamic web of social relations.