In This Issue
President's Message
Past CPRS-VI Co-President Nigel Atkin is January's guest contributor for the President's Message.
Public Relations and Democracy
By Nigel Atkin
Public relations and democracy have gone hand-in-hand since participatory governance was first conceived. The free expression of ideas in society requires individual ability to create, convey, support, and defend the possibilities of collective ideals as they manifest in the dialogue of good government.
Make no mistake – true public relations does not exist in totalitarian states, ones ruled by dictatorship, or communism, or by various forms of fascism.
By its very nature, democracy requires the support and nurturing of citizen voice, a free media, transparent institutions, and the tools of public relations to discern issues, define the problems at hand, and to disseminate information wisely to effect change.
Many countries are at different stages of democratic growth, education, and institutional development – the Ukraine, Kosovo, Iraq, just to name a few. As democracy continues to spread and evolve, it is important to understand where public relations practice has been, and where it might be headed, both in Canada and in the rest of the world. The consequence of public relations development in concert with other aspects of democracy will be significant.
Managing Herds or Democratization?
One view of public relations has been that the public be controlled through the information they receive, barred from managing their interests, and swayed by propaganda in which their consent is manufactured. As the dean of American journalism, and theorist of liberal democracy Walter Lippman noted almost a century ago, the techniques of public relations, then more closely aligned with propaganda, were bringing forth revolutionary ideas in the “art of democracy.”
The study of what is known as “modern” public relations - the writings of Lippman, of Edward Bernays, the advent of mass media, and the first two world wars - documents the management of attitudes, beliefs and behaviours with the intent of “controlling thoughts” and managing “herds” of people.
Some people believe that the evolution of public relations has hardened the practice into the further manipulation of minds. Many believe that information is spun to support vested interests, that media outlets and the ideas consumed by the public are controlled.
Whether these approaches provide a sound basis for democratic decision-making is open to debate. Depending on one’s perspective they might still be used to overcome ignorance and develop a healthier climate of dialogue where the many aspects of “truth” can safely manifest and be challenged without fear of reprisal.
Others contend that there is the rapid “democratization” of public relations in which all people have access to communication counsel, academic education, and practical training, and that the modern tools of public relations are widely available to everyone.
Both paths can be very important in developing and sustaining democracy - depending on what stage the specific evolution of democracy is at, in which region or country. There are many variables. In all instances, practices are evolving rapidly in complexity with domestic and global consequence.
Canada and other countries around the world are increasing efforts in assisting countries like Afghanistan and Iraq in the development of inclusive decision-making, thus forwarding democratic ideals. At the same time this is going on in other lands, public relations practitioners in Canada remain charged with ensuring that the free and just exchange of ideas carries on and supports those very same democratic ideals.
The ideal practice of public relations – the balanced two-way symmetrical model widely promoted in academic theory – is key to secure and just societies and to sustainable economic development.
In Canada, public relations is both sustained by, and supports the concept of peace, order and good government.
The functions of electing representatives, encouraging participatory planning, developing and conveying governments’ mandate and vision, ensuring the transparent execution of the budget, managing the legislative obligations openly, administering adherence to the rule of law must embrace the highest standards of managing relationships between and among the people and their respective governments.
Aspects of anti-corruption, ethics, accountability, and reporting all require the best efforts of individuals within the widening and vital realm of public relations.
As these concepts are promoted overseas they must not be allowed to erode at home.
Nigel Atkin is a former co-president of CPRS-VI, a founding member of UVic’s Certificate Program in Public Relations and has recently returned from Iraq where he served as a regional public affairs advisor and team leader for strategic planning. He holds an MA in strategic communication.
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Partnering and Consulting in Public Relations
By Steve Hutchings
The public relations practitioner turned consultant is a common occurrence, what with the allure of variable contract lengths, freedom of client choice and working independently. But before making that leap, it’s best to consider what skills the PR practitioner brings to a client. And just as important, who is the client? What kind of organization in what field is looking to hire an independent public relations specialist? When it comes down to it, what are the pros and cons of consulting and what are those already in the field saying?
Bill Eisenhauer operates Good Relations, a PR firm in Victoria. With a staff of two including himself, Good Relations has a particularly strong partnership with Trapeze Communications, a creative services and marketing firm in Victoria. Marketing agencies can benefit from hiring a public relations consultant, Bill says, because it adds PR expertise to the marketing and advertising capabilities provided by the firm, giving it full-service capabilities often needed to serve a client. “What’s important for me is that there’s a meshing of philosophies (between partners),” he says.
Contractors can bring a variety of skills to a firm, adds Trisha Lees, Vice-President of Operations/Client Relations at The Tartan Group. Expertise in digital communication, such as blogging, can give a firm an edge in meeting a client’s needs while reducing the agency’s workload. “We’ll sometimes work with partners if we’re working on a project but we need a bigger team, especially is the scope of the work is too large,” she says.
A contractor’s skill set might be knowledge of a geographic area, she adds, citing Tartan’s work with an agency in Northern British Columbia as part of Tartan’s work with the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
Bob Ledrew, a public relations professional in Ottawa, offers sage advice on working with partners in PR. In his blog Flacklife, quoted in CBC’s The Business Network, Ledrew recounts that recently he worked with a private sector client to quickly bring a project to the media. The project was newsworthy, but required Ledrew to act immediately to bring it to the media. Ledrew and his client found themselves at odds when considering how to bring it forward, and just as importantly, how to acknowledge the other party’s role.
Both he and the client were ultimately happy with the results. But the experience gave him valuable insight into the do’s and don’ts of working in partnerships within public relations. Among them:
• Lay out objectives, tactics, return on investment and what each partner is looking for, and how much of the spotlight they’ll share;
• Give all parties enough time to review the campaign tools (for example, news releases, media advisories and print content);
• Share the results in a report, distributed to everyone.
Working in partnerships, whether as an independent consultant, or with internal or external stakeholders and co-workers can be a rewarding and lucrative experience. Transparency is key to a successful partnership. The PR professional must outline the skills they bring, whether they’re a solid understanding of local media, mastery of social media or knowledge of a particular industry. With an open approach that clarifies expectations, tools, results and share of the spotlight, the public relations professional is well equipped to ensure that any collaboration should be a healthy and enjoyable one.
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For your information…
2010 Brings Changes to the APR
It’s fitting that as we welcome in the New Year we also welcome our chapter’s newest APR designate, Graham Currie. Graham joins 18 others in our chapter who, over the years, have challenged their PR acumen, taken stock of their professional and academic accomplishments, and benchmarked their career with accreditation. Congratulations, Graham—you are among Canada’s newly accredited APRs.
Taking stock
January is a good time to take stock of the state of our profession and how well we serve it. Our chapter has a good record when it comes to mentoring new APR candidates: answering those first tentative questions from potential candidates and then helping them prepare for the three accreditation components: work sample, written exam and oral exam. Mentorship is obviously the key APR-related board duty, but other opportunities, such as employer advocacy and member development, have the potential to further advance the value an APR designation provides to the profession and to our accredited members.
Shifting Focus
In order to address these other opportunities, the Board’s APR chair position needed to shift focus, become more strategic, and pass the torch to a new lead mentor. We are extremely fortunate that, after a two-year stint in Ottawa, Vanessa Greebe, APR, has come back to Victoria and will mentor our next cohort of APR candidates. Vanessa brings expertise from the dual perspectives of educator and practitioner. She taught the capstone Case Studies course in UVic’s Certificate in PR program, helping dozens of PR professionals learn to think, act and assess communications strategically and critically. Vanessa also brings many years of high-level communications experience to her new role as lead APR mentor. If you are thinking about getting your APR, Vanessa advises, “Don’t leave it till the last minute to apply. Although the application deadline is December 1, you can apply anytime. The process is challenging enough, without the additional stress of last-minute deadlines.”
With mentorship now under Vanessa’s capable stewardship, the board can explore employer engagement and APR development opportunities. We welcome your suggestions on how to proceed. And, if you are thinking about pursuing your APR in 2011, be sure to email accreditation@cprs-vi.org.
Spread the Word!
CPRS-VI welcomes your stories and PR-focused events for distribution to other members. Or, if there’s something you want to see covered here, let us know! Please contact Sarah Milner, Communications Chair, at communications@cprs-vi.org and help spread the word!
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