PR Studies

The unacceptable face of public relations

There's a case for viewing commercial public relations as the 'acceptable face of capitalism'. Championing an organisation's responsibilities to all its stakeholders balances the pressure always to put shareholders and profits first. Corporate Social Responsibility and environmental statements play their part in this.

Contrast this with party political public relations where there is a long tradition from Bernard Ingham to Damian McBride via Alastair Campbell of the PR adviser as chief 'attack dog' for his (my examples are all male) political boss. The unacceptable face, if you like, of public relations.

Why such a contrast between the corporate and political worlds? David Starkey, I imagine, would talk in terms of courtiers and princes. The political PR adviser is a courtier whose power comes solely from their close proximity to the prince, hence the need to take risks and retain the favour of the ruler. Call this the Machiavelli theory.

Politicians, in a democracy, stand or fall by their electoral success. So successful politicians tend to be an everyman (or woman) causing least offense to the electorate (and the Daily Mail). Maintaining an inoffensive public persona requires some strong arm tactics behind the scenes and (unelected) courtiers are more expendable than political princes.

Private sector bosses do not have this pressure to stand for election; they are undoubted kings of their courts. Yet they know they are accountable: to shareholders for profits, to employees for strategic leadership, to customers, regulators and communities. These various accountabilities need careful balancing, the role of corporate public relations.

'Reality radio' does PR

Television is fascinated by monastic life - or rather, the reactions of ordinary people to living in a monastery.

Today the radio provided a different spin on this theme. A Dominican friar joined a public relations consultancy - Shine PR - in Radio 4's The Real World. This short programme played on the contrasting lifestyles: twentysomething consumerism meets vows of 'poverty, chastity and obedience'. It was never going to be a comfortable mix.

Friar Tim was a highly intelligent commentator. On arriving at the consultancy he mentioned his brand of 'one word equity': veritas (truth). He seemed more aware of the similarities between their lines of work than his hosts. He preaches the word, he knows his congregation (and attracts large numbers to services), he readily debates ethical issues. The key difference is that he's not commercially focused. In reality, not all public relations is the brand of marketing communications practiced by this consultancy. But it made for good radio.

Organised deception

An hour long Channel 4 Dispatches programme this evening claimed to reveal the inside story of the true level of media manipulation and deception in the recent election campaign.

Its two main claims: that the Labour party orchestrated a letter writing campaign 'to bypass the national media'. (According to the programme, 'the writing of fake letters was official Labour policy'). And that it packed media photo opportunities with 'endorsers' (party supporters posing as 'real people'). The subliminal message was one of anti-Americanism (since pseudo-events, public relations and fake elections were invented in the US).

Presenter Jenny Kleeman was likeably naive, but the shocked and horrified tone of this programme just will not do since the programme was based on the biggest deception of all. Its reporter posed as a Labour party volunteer and brought a hidden camera into work.

Watch out

Spinwatch is about. The UK's answer to PR Watch kicked off this week with a two day conference in Glasgow, as reported by the Guardian newsblog.

I'll learn more about it when I hear from a colleague who attended the conference.

Watch out: it works

Luke Johnson, entrepreneur and Channel 4 chairman, shows himself to be alert to the influence of PR in this piece in the Telegraph. (Via PR Machine.)

With the expansion of the media industry, PR has moved out of the shadows and become a central part of the corporate world. Globalisation, advancing media technology and the rise of activist groups have all enhanced the status of PR.

The trade has become more sophisticated, moving from distributing press releases to managing relations with government and investors, as well as the press and broadcast media. Quite how the black art of PR peddles influence is difficult to determine - but it certainly works.

Truth or dare?

If you work in PR, you're used to being eaten by a journalist ('is it new, or is it surprising?' was my most withering - but most valuable - put-down). Yet you rarely have an opportunity to bite back.

Julia Hobsbawm is attempting just that by calling for a 'truth institute' to scrutinise standards of journalism. Patrick Weever provides this commentary (posted on 7 December) on his Anti-Spin website:

I am saying, however, that Journalism IS higher up the food chain of truth. Journalism is about the pursuit of truth, that is the function of every journalist. The function of a PR person is to protect the client.

Back to basics in PR

Brian MacLaurin writes well in Media Guardian about Guy Black's challenge as press secretary to the Conservatives:

Control must be seen to be in the hands of elected politicians with matters of party discipline being enforced by the party leader and chief whip. The role of the PRO will be to ensure smooth communications both internally and externally... Never again can the message become the master.

Note also Why I'm no Alastair Campbell in The Observer.

Right to spin

The Times reports that Guy Black has been approached to head communications for the Conservative party. He's certainly well connected in the worlds of media, politics and PR (his partner Mark Bolland was last week rebuked by the IPR for revealing confidences from his time as adviser to Prince Charles).

Turning the tables

It's been interesting to see how debates apparently about the ethics of public relations have developed into a challenge to media methods.

In the wider sphere, the allegation that Downing Street 'sexed up' the Iraq dossier has turned into a debate about honest and accurate journalism (see this in The Observer).

In our world, Patrick Weever's anti-spin campaign has been challenged (also in The Observer) by Chris Rushton, who leads a joint degree course in journalism and public relations in Sunderland. He argues that the two practices can't be separated - they need to understand and learn from each other:

Among the many things students of journalism learn is never to take on trust something that is given to them by a press officer. Similarly, PR students know not to believe everything a journalist tells them.

Campbell's legacy

Public relations in the UK is losing its most renowned figure. Kate Nicholas of PR Week assesses Alastair Campbell's legacy, in what is almost a eulogy (registration required).

Perhaps she fears a duller time as editor of our trade weekly. Perhaps we'll miss a high profile example for our lectures and tutorials. Perhaps we really are seeing the beginnings of the death of spin.