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Rescuing PR's reputation: multiple challenges have put public relations practitioners on the defensive--but there are ways to save the profession's credibility and integrity.

Article Excerpt
Corporate communication is facing a credibility crisis, and public relations practitioners are especially vulnerable. This crisis stems from a significant gap between theory and practice in the profession. Issues of identity, ethics and competence are undermining PR's reputation. As far back as 1992, in Excellence in Public Relations and Communication Management, edited by James Grunig, IABC identified a lack of respect for the PR profession as a critical challenge, particularly in view of the climate of distrust in which practitioners were operating. As long as we ignore these issues, our credibility will be in jeopardy.

Despite its strategic management function, PR continues to be perceived as simply publicity. So long as our clients assume that media relations is all we do, we are limited in our ability to provide comprehensive services. Getting "free publicity" is one of the most common client expectations, and it is often the primary measure of a practitioner's effectiveness. At the same time, members of the news media, no matter how hungry they are for stories, remain justifiably skeptical of the newsworthiness of leads coming from our offices. Indeed, they rarely view PR practitioners as equal partners in public information, and hostility between the professions is common.

Moreover, the line between public relations and marketing has blurred. This is narrowing the definition of the discipline to corporate profit making. Yet, as Ange Frymire, president of Vocal Point Communications in Victoria, British Columbia, points out, "Only one-third of the bottom line is financial. It should also be social and environmental." Indeed, the essence of public relations is relationships...