Comments on: Is Transparency the Key to Improving PR’s Reputation? http://www.globalprblogweek.com/2005/09/21/albrycht-transparency-key/ September 19-23, 2005 :: Public Relations and Business Communications in the Age of Blogs Sat, 13 Mar 2010 13:23:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.2 By: Philip Young http://www.globalprblogweek.com/2005/09/21/albrycht-transparency-key/#comment-256 Philip Young Tue, 27 Sep 2005 18:19:31 +0000 http://www.globalprblogweek.com/2005/09/21/albrycht-transparency-key/#comment-256 I am interested that you home in on the 'ethics of persuasion' - I think understanding and acknowledging that this is what PR does is vital but it is also something with which practitioners - and those who seek to define what the PR profession claims to do - are reluctant to engage. It is, as you say, linked to notions of advocacy. One of the reasons that I keep returning to notions of advocacy is that unlike the PRSA code) it is a word that does not feature at all in the UK's Chartered Institute of Public Relations Code of Conduct. I think it should! (But then again, there's part of me which thinks PR should reclaim the word propaganda...). I am interested that you home in on the ‘ethics of persuasion’ - I think understanding and acknowledging that this is what PR does is vital but it is also something with which practitioners - and those who seek to define what the PR profession claims to do - are reluctant to engage. It is, as you say, linked to notions of advocacy. One of the reasons that I keep returning to notions of advocacy is that unlike the PRSA code) it is a word that does not feature at all in the UK’s Chartered Institute of Public Relations Code of Conduct. I think it should! (But then again, there’s part of me which thinks PR should reclaim the word propaganda…).

]]> By: Elizabeth Albrycht http://www.globalprblogweek.com/2005/09/21/albrycht-transparency-key/#comment-247 Elizabeth Albrycht Tue, 27 Sep 2005 09:40:59 +0000 http://www.globalprblogweek.com/2005/09/21/albrycht-transparency-key/#comment-247 Phil - I would certainly say that both truth and transparency are necessary conditions for ethical PR practice, but neither, in and of themselves, are sufficient. You need both (and other things as well, which ethical codes like PRSA's tries to define). Without truth you would certainly fall into that position you describe where as long as I tell you what I am doing there is nothing wrong with the action. Or to put it another way, as long as I keep describing/acknowledging the means, then the means are justified as well as the end, which we know is not always the case. I also agree that the demand for position (advocacy) has to be addressed. What are the ethics of persuasion? As PR people, we state that our purpose is to persuade, and we therefore pick and choose the information we present to our target audiences based on that purpose. To be ethical, in my mind, that information has to be true, and the picking and choosing transparent. But how transparent? Ashley brings up a good point here - if we "vomit" up every debate in every decision the resulting information glut could destroy any chance of persuasion we have, and therefore our purpose disappears. Our goal needs to be to find the equilibrium point in the process of transparency. How much disclosure is enough? What information needs to be disclosed? How much of the process needs to be shared? These are the questions we need to devote ourselves to answering. Phil - I would certainly say that both truth and transparency are necessary conditions for ethical PR practice, but neither, in and of themselves, are sufficient. You need both (and other things as well, which ethical codes like PRSA’s tries to define). Without truth you would certainly fall into that position you describe where as long as I tell you what I am doing there is nothing wrong with the action. Or to put it another way, as long as I keep describing/acknowledging the means, then the means are justified as well as the end, which we know is not always the case.

I also agree that the demand for position (advocacy) has to be addressed. What are the ethics of persuasion? As PR people, we state that our purpose is to persuade, and we therefore pick and choose the information we present to our target audiences based on that purpose. To be ethical, in my mind, that information has to be true, and the picking and choosing transparent. But how transparent?

Ashley brings up a good point here - if we “vomit” up every debate in every decision the resulting information glut could destroy any chance of persuasion we have, and therefore our purpose disappears.

Our goal needs to be to find the equilibrium point in the process of transparency. How much disclosure is enough? What information needs to be disclosed? How much of the process needs to be shared? These are the questions we need to devote ourselves to answering.

]]> By: Ashley Robertson http://www.globalprblogweek.com/2005/09/21/albrycht-transparency-key/#comment-235 Ashley Robertson Mon, 26 Sep 2005 17:18:00 +0000 http://www.globalprblogweek.com/2005/09/21/albrycht-transparency-key/#comment-235 That gap “between the information that is presented and making all information available� may have labeled pr practitioners unethical, but it also gave them the job. And just because you’re labeled as such doesn’t mean you have to be. Transparency is about the process, but truth will fall into transparency at some point. It sounds so good to think that complete honesty is the key, but in essence you’re just asking for humans to end human nature. No one wants to proudly show off their inadequacies and faults to the world. It is our nature to cover things like that up. Not to mention, by asking for transparency you request that not only all PR practices be ethical, but also all business practices. If transparency is your end goal, then your clients will have to be able, and willing, to be transparent as well. Transparency is the opposite of privacy, as you said, but is that what PR really needs? A relentless vomiting of every action that takes place. This would make simple tasks hard to get through and give the feeling of walking on egg shells the entire time to ensure that every detail has been made available for the public. It might be easier, and more feasible, to shoot for honesty. It’s part of the PR code to accurately represent, to be truthful, and I fully agree that I think most practitioners are honest. It would seem to me, that just like in any profession, you who are good at your PR jobs would want the liars removed from the business. Maybe just keep doing your job right and let those who are giving the bad name take the responsibility. Sounds like there is much public relations work to do for public relations itself. That gap “between the information that is presented and making all information available� may have labeled pr practitioners unethical, but it also gave them the job. And just because you’re labeled as such doesn’t mean you have to be. Transparency is about the process, but truth will fall into transparency at some point.

It sounds so good to think that complete honesty is the key, but in essence you’re just asking for humans to end human nature. No one wants to proudly show off their inadequacies and faults to the world. It is our nature to cover things like that up. Not to mention, by asking for transparency you request that not only all PR practices be ethical, but also all business practices. If transparency is your end goal, then your clients will have to be able, and willing, to be transparent as well.

Transparency is the opposite of privacy, as you said, but is that what PR really needs? A relentless vomiting of every action that takes place. This would make simple tasks hard to get through and give the feeling of walking on egg shells the entire time to ensure that every detail has been made available for the public. It might be easier, and more feasible, to shoot for honesty.

It’s part of the PR code to accurately represent, to be truthful, and I fully agree that I think most practitioners are honest. It would seem to me, that just like in any profession, you who are good at your PR jobs would want the liars removed from the business. Maybe just keep doing your job right and let those who are giving the bad name take the responsibility.

Sounds like there is much public relations work to do for public relations itself.

]]> By: Philip Young http://www.globalprblogweek.com/2005/09/21/albrycht-transparency-key/#comment-107 Philip Young Wed, 21 Sep 2005 23:11:12 +0000 http://www.globalprblogweek.com/2005/09/21/albrycht-transparency-key/#comment-107 I've been looking forward to reading this piece Elizabeth. I had reservations about your original premise, that truth and transparency were different things, in that it could lead to a logical (but preposterous) conclusion, that it is Ok not to tell the truth as long as careful trackback can iconfirm that you were open about your intention. I agree that Jim Durban is spot on with his analysis, but I still hold that the key distinction lies in purpose; when PR acknowledges its role as being one of advocacy it can claim ethical coherence, but when it tries to to reach for a moral higher ground, when it seeks to replace advoacy with a supposedly neutral (and supposedly more acceptable) role of communication facilitator, that is when PR slips into the dangerous groung where it can be portrayed as less than honest. I’ve been looking forward to reading this piece Elizabeth. I had reservations about your original premise, that truth and transparency were different things, in that it could lead to a logical (but preposterous) conclusion, that it is Ok not to tell the truth as long as careful trackback can iconfirm that you were open about your intention. I agree that Jim Durban is spot on with his analysis, but I still hold that the key distinction lies in purpose; when PR acknowledges its role as being one of advocacy it can claim ethical coherence, but when it tries to to reach for a moral higher ground, when it seeks to replace advoacy with a supposedly neutral (and supposedly more acceptable) role of communication facilitator, that is when PR slips into the dangerous groung where it can be portrayed as less than honest.

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