In Defense of Public Relations

Talk about not pulling any punches, in a recent interview, Robert Preston, an economics editor with the BBC, sure did not hold back in his assessment of public relations practitioners. Among other things, Preston called these professional communicators "the nearest thing to prostitutes you can find in public life." He explained they "have no concern for the truth because their sole purpose is to defend their employer's interests." As rough as Preston's assessment is, to be fair, it should be noted that he is not the first to make such an observation. Others have declared public relations workers to be nothing less than hired guns who will say or promote most any sentiment for the right price.


There is no question that there are those in public life that fit that bill. In addition to public relations officer, they go by an array of other names, including politicians, pundits and, most broadly, employees. Not all, but these and other workers conduct their professional lives by being loyal to those that pay their salaries or support them on a some level. The question is, in being loyal, do these people lie on behalf of those for whom they work? If their boss tells them to go out and purposely tell a falsehood, do they do it? Sadly, some do. But to suggest that public relations practitioners and others who speak on behalf of others regularly delegate the truth to the backseat is a gross and unfair perspective.       


If a person is going to have anything close to a successful career as a professional communicator, then their credibility must be beyond approach. This means they must be perceived as being honest in what they do. No question, there are bad apples in every bunch, including journalism. But organizations do not hire public relations practitioners because of their ability to lie. Rather, these entities seek the service of professional communicators because these women and men are creative and effective at enhancing the reputation of those for whom they work. This is done by emphasizing what is true.