There has been much public debate about what the emerging
world of unmediated media means for the future of PR.
It is well tread territory, and instead of rehashing this I
thought I might instead look to the future and both humbly and publicly make
some suggestions about where we go from here.
In doing so publicly, I can only increase understanding of
this profession, since, as many have pointed out, we are starting from a basis
of widespread mis perception and cynicism about PR. (Not that I am carping. If we are misunderstood, it is our own fault;
we are in the communications business).
No, I think we as a profession have perhaps all too much
enjoyed (if not basked in) the mystique surrounding PR. Magicians do not reveal their tricks, right?
because when people do not understand, they tend to cynically assume the worst.
So in the blog-driven spirit of transparency, I thought I
would share my thoughts and opinions about how the profession might evolve from
here, in this first of a series of posts. I do this with the hope that the PR
Practitioners’ Guild does not revoke my membership (just kidding, is there
really an organization like this)?
I start with a discussion of PR ethics. Yes, believe it or not such a thing exists!
I can talk until I am blue in the face about how there are
“bad apples” in every profession, and most PR people really are very ethical
and above board, yet we will still be referred to as flacks, fixers and
spinmeisters of weak moral character.
is incumbent on us to constantly educate that PR does not translate to
“ethically challenged.”
Also, given the subject at hand – The New Face of PR in a
New Media Dominated Media Landscape – it is an extremely important topic
because in the online world, it is much easier to deceive and possibly compromise
ethics.
So, I think the established PR Code of Ethics (PRSA has an entire page with many
links devoted to ethics resources and standards, including this Member Code of
Ethics) needs to be updated
to address the ethical rules of engagement in a world where everyone can have a
blog-based megaphone, identities can become blurred if not completely veiled,
and people can submit and vote on their own stories.
Please chime in if you agree, and if you have suggestions
about what would be important for an updated code.
