New York Times Takes PR to Task

I would imagine that most PR practitioners will probably find themselves involved in a discussion regarding Sunday's New York Times article, which levels a rather scathing indictment of the public relations industry.

While it's always worrisome to see articles that can potentially paint a whole industry with a broad brush, there's also a lot practitioners can do to clear the confusion that this story will most likely create. It's true there are aspects of PR that are similar to those described in the story, undertaken by Ketchum and the agency led by Armstrong Williams.

However, the valued work that the vast majority of PR practitioners do is nothing that should be apologized for. We must work diligently to dispel the notion that PR involves twisting the truth or creating messages out of "half-truths." Most people who engage the services of a PR firm find that they greatly help streamline the process of sending out newsworthy messages to the right people. They do this by condensing information into a clear, concise format that shows journalists and others they value and respect their time. There are many respected journalists who will tell you good PR practitioners help serve as another resource for them by passing along information they may not yet had a chance to discover.

Also, perhaps most importantly, this story should help dispel the notion that small independents have no chance of competing in this industry. If anything, it shows honest, hard work is what really counts.