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In a Guardian article, Daniel Rogers, editor of PR Week, tries to put a positive spin on the PR industry’s tarnished image. He says PR industry is finally gaining the respect it deserves, at least in some quarters.
However, in others, particularly in the blogosphere, PR is roundly derided. Just yesterday, I spoke at a PRSA New Technology meeting, and met PR people — professional communicators — who don’t know a blog from a bagel. My favorite question: “But how can we control the message in blogs?” The answer: you can’t. But control was always an illusion anyway.
“Corporate affairs directors, essentially PR people, sit at the right hand of their chief executives advising on what to say to a vast number of stakeholders – from customers and suppliers, to pressure groups and the City,” Daniels writes.
That’s true, and a large percentage of publicists do their jobs well. And PR is a necessary part of the news cycle. There are not enough reporters — or bloggers — on the planet to uncover every story.
So why is PR bashing so prevalent in mainstream and new media? Because there are still flacks doing clueless pitching, writing “Dear Blogger” and “Dear Editor” emails; and making “did you get it?” phone calls. Cut that out already!