KLes Says

“After more than a century of evolution, why does the profession of public relations still face questions about its values and integrity?” (Guth & Marsh, p. 79).

The Las Vegas Chapter of PRSA’s blog addresses this ongoing issue within the public relations industry.  According to the blog, CBS Legal Analyst Andrew Cohen provided commentary on the show “CBS Sunday Morning,” which questioned the ethics and integrity of the PR profession. This commentary was sparked by the recent release of a book written by a former White House Press Secretary who acknowledged he lied to Americans during his employment. In the commentary Cohen states, “The reason companies or governments hire oodles of PR people is because PR people are trained to be slickly untruthful or half-truthful.” This is bad public relations for public relations! Cohen’s commentary reflects many American’s views regarding the public relations industry and its practitioners. It only takes one dishonest practitioner to cast a shadow on the entire industry. PRSA recognized this and immediately released a statement addressed to Cohen. In this statement, the CEO of PRSA cites the PRSA code of ethics and defends the industry. Some criticized PRSA for overreacting to the commentary. However, in the public relations industry everything released about an organization, whether good or bad, must be considered. Cohen’s commentary did require a response from the industry. Without one, the industry would have been agreeing with Cohen’s statements.

As long as public relations practitioners continue to be dishonest and do not adhere to the PRSA code of ethics , the industry will continue to be criticized as it has always been. After all, the father of public relations, Edward L. Bernays, was criticized for his public relations tactics and practices (Guth & Marsh). Until every public relations practitioner makes ethical standards their primary concern, the values and integrity of the public relations industry will continue to be questioned.