The Press- 18th May 2001 - (New Zealand)
PR 'Flower-arranging'
Public
Relations consultants have been called "flower
arrangers of the facts" by one of their own at
the Public Relations institutes conference in Price,
Christchurch.
In a light-hearted address to the conference, the Perth
PR practitioner David Michie, who exposed unethical
public relations practices in his 1998 book, The Invisible
Persuaders, said he could see little difference between
propaganda and public relations.
Both involved making sure the most attractive blossoms
were on display, he said.
It was the news media's job and to "deconstruct"
the arrangement and although in countries like Britain
the media could be depended on to take the bleakest
view, in others, press releases were published without
alteration.
Even in Britain, the media slipped up occasionally, he said, as in the recent case of reputable publications repeating a claim by the Virgin Vodka that its drink was somehow special because of its triple distilling process.
In fact, most vodkas were triple distilled.
The phenomenal growth of PR in industry in America, where PR consultants outnumbered journalists, posed dangers for the balance that was needed to insure the public received the facts.
Some spin doctors were now so powerful and influential, even in Britain, that to offend them meant journalists were cut out of the information loop.
Often the sorts of operators displayed no interest in codes of conduct which were often irrelevant to the public anyway, he said.
The PR industry had never been more powerful and greater scrutiny would find it wanting.
In the face of many examples of "remorseless expedience" on behalf of the industry, many challenges faced the ethical practitioner.
"Do we all have our own price?" he asked.
Codes of practices were worthwhile but unscrupulous operators were not forced to adhere to them and they were often so broad that a multitude of sins could be covered, he said.
PR standards would rise or fall on what individual PR consultants decided and he called for "more times for ethical consideration".
By Martin van Beynen