Embattled PR maven Ronn Torossian has resigned as CEO of 5W Public Relations, the PR shop he founded in 2002, according to Insider. The move follows an exposé by The Daily Beast outing Torossian, an off-and-on confidante of New York City Mayor Eric Adams, as the secret owner of a news site called Everything PR. Torossian reportedly used phony bylines in the online publication to smear rival PR firms with unflattering coverage—something the Public Relations Society of America called a “cowardly and a blatant violation of PRSA’s code of ethics.” In an email to employees obtained by Insider, Torossian said: “I have made the decision to step down as CEO of 5WPR. I have become a distraction and the team deserves the freedom to operate in a context free of noise—noise I personally created.” Torossian, who took on a slate of controversial clients including Girls Gone Wild creator Joe Francis, will remain 5W’s chairman.
