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Monday, June 02, 2008
How to shine a light on the real, ethical work of PR
CBS News Analyst Andrew Cohen probably tells a joke at parties: “You know how to tell when a PR person is lying? His lips are moving.”
Probably nobody laughs. It’s an old joke, even if it is usually applied to politicians. But Cohen let everyone know where he stands on the practice of public relations on CBS Sunday Morning, when he said:
Show me a PR person who is “accurate” and “truthful,” and I’ll show you a PR person who is unemployed.
Cohen was commenting on the case of former White House Press Secretary Scott McLellan, who has revealed in a tell-all book that he lied on behalf of the U.S. presidential administration. Cohen pointed to PRSA’s code of ethics, but shrugged it off by articulating a belief a lot of people have: “During the time it took me to write this essay I’ll bet dozens of PR people blatantly lied to their audiences, despite the presence of proclamations declaring that they should not.”
PRSA was very quick to respond, as well they should have. The national PR association’s home page features a prominent link to a statement from PRSA Chair and CEO Jeffrey Julin that makes a robust argument on behalf of all those employed practitioners who adhere to the ethical standards set by PRSA, IABC, and other associations that represent communicators and the organizations for which they work. Julin notes that those who are not accurate and truthful are far more likely the ones to wind up unemployed:
For public relations professionals, engaging diverse and often skeptical audiences requires top-flight skills in communications, creativity and even persuasion, but a trust once lost cannot be regained. Unemployment, contrary to your opinion, is reserved for the professional who has lost his or her credibility.
(By the way, Neville Hobson reported on PRSA’s swift response on today’s episode of our podcast, For Immediate Release.)
Not too long ago, I would have responded to Mr. Cohen’s cynical assertion that all PR people are liars with a hearty, “Screw you, Andy.” I have since come to realize, though, that Cohen—along with most other observers of PR—react only to what they see. What they see is clueless pitching and reports of PR counselors engaged in spin, half-truths, and outright lies, since these are the tales reported in the news and on blogs. What percentage is there in reporting on a PR effort executed professionally and ethically?
PRSA’s response is a good one, but it probably won’t change anybody’s mind. The cynics like Cohen will merely roll their eyes and say, “Well what’s an organization like PRSA supposed to say?”
I’m not the first person to suggest that PR needs to undertake a PR campaign, and I’m still not sure how it could be done without appearing disingenuous. But somehow, we need to shine the light on the tens of thousands of ethical, honest practitioners who work hard every day on behalf of their clients while upholding the spirit and letter of the codes of ethics to which they are bound.
One method is already underway—it’s for professionals like Todd Defren, Brian Solis, Phil Gomes, Mike Manuel, Niall Cook and hundreds of others to talk about their client work candidly and openly on their blogs. (There’s been a fair amount of discussion lately about whether PR people should shine a light on their own efforts, since it has traditionally been viewed as inappropriate. But the world has changed and social media have made it more acceptable to write about the work you’ve done on a client’s behalf—with that client’s permission, of course.) It would also be great if someone started a clearinghouse site or blog that aggregated cases of PR conducted in a way that would make Cohen and his ilk rethink their assumptions.
I may take up this effort myself, in my copious free time.
One way or another, it’s time to stop protesting and start demonstrating that most PR work is not represented by the cases that make the news or inspire blacklists.
