Public Relations: The Two Sides of Information Access
Boston and the world recently got an unfortunate and disturbing lesson on and reminder of the power…and the perils…of information access.
The power lay in the ability of friends, family, loved ones and casual acquaintances from every corner of the earth to connect, comfort, and console each other each time new information was communicated about the unfolding events. And the media, for most part, did a commendable job of providing much-needed updates.
The perils lay in the ability of anyone, anywhere…at any time…to acquire information that, sadly, could be used to inflict harm on others. While I continue to wish that all my fellow beings would only devote their lives to activities that are beneficial to mankind, I’m enough of a realist to know that this isn’t going to happen.
This realization got me thinking about our responsibilities as public relations professionals to communicate…to provide advice and counsel…to clients or employers so that they might better inform their many stakeholders. In particular, the Public Relations Society of America‘s Code of Ethics addresses the “Free Flow of Information,” saying that the public relations professional will “maintain the integrity of relationships with the media, government officials, and the public.”
Filed under Communication, Guest Posts, Kirk Hazlett, Media, Public Relations | Tags: counseling, crisis communication, information access, public information | Comments (3)Person-to-Person Communication: The Human Side of Public Relations
(Ed: Today’s Tax Day in the U.S. Are you all squared away?)
I had an interesting (to me) exchange of thoughts with a reader of my own blog recently on the subject of person-to-person communication.
I had written about a reassuring experience I had in a restaurant during which the young woman who took my order had initiated and maintained eye contact every time she came to my table.
Image: bobfranklin via Flickr, CC 2.0
The reader seemed to be of the opinion that “person-to-person” contact was not so important.
That we should be exploring ways in which to improve our online communications. Apparently, to him, that is the area that needs some touch-up.
Filed under Client Relations, Guest Posts, Kirk Hazlett, Public Relations | Tags: interpersonal communication, person-to-person communication, Public Relations, relationships | Comments (53)Ethics and Accountability in Public Relations are Non-Negotiable
I was watching an episode of ABC’s popular series, “Scandal,” recently, and it set off every alarm that ever existed in my head.
(For the record, I don’t watch the program regularly, mostly because I find just about everything about it repulsive to me, as a public relations professional now teaching the next generation/s of PR pros.)
Everything from computer hacking to false representation – and probably accessory to murder – was covered in this particular program by what appears to the unknowing public as a “day-in-the-life” of a successful public relations/lobbying firm.
Wow! Sorry loyal “Scandal-ites.” I’ve been known to “wax unlyrical” time and again with my view of what comprises good/ethical/professional public relations. Nothing… no way… no how… in this episode was representative of what I, and thousands of other public relations practitioners around the world, would agree represents our profession.
“Ethics,” in a nutshell, is about doing the right thing.
Filed under Kirk Hazlett, Public Relations | Tags: accountability, ethics, Ethics and accountability in public relations, prsa, Public Relations, Public Relations Society of America | Comments (38)
