As the public relations industry grows in size and stature, it is coming under increasing scrutiny by the public, media and government. But not all scrutiny is bad, especially if it helps broaden the understanding of a profession and advances its role and value.

Twice in the past year there have been investigations into public relations spending by the federal government. The most recent was launched in late February by Senator Claire McCaskill (D–Mo.) and Senator Rob Portman (R–Ohio), who have triggered a wide-ranging investigation of the federal government’s use of public relations and advertising services. At the initial stages of this inquiry the Subcommittee is seeking data for the past five years pertaining to “contracts for the acquisition of public relations, publicity, advertising, communications, or similar services” at 11 separate Federal agencies.  We have our concerns, which we expressed directly with the Senators and through an op-ed published in Roll Call.

It isn’t surprising that government spending on public relations is being scrutinized during times of economic austerity, when politicians of all stripes compete to be the most prudent with taxpayers’ funds. Such scrutiny — if conducted fairly and objectively — may prove valuable for public relations.

Continue reading " Congress Investigates PR: Will It Like What It Sees? "

Unbeknownst to most Americans, Washington has been waging copyright and intellectual property battles for years, many of which I witnessed while working for the Motion Picture Association of America (a SOPA and PIPA supporter) and, now, PRSA (a SOPA and PIPA opponent). Having seen the issue from both sides, I’m in a unique position to provide what has so far been missing from this debate: a balanced perspective.

RELATED: PRSA issues statement in opposition of SOPA and PIPA.

As you may have noticed, the one constant throughout the current debate over the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA) has been hyperbole, with each side insisting a legislative defeat would be ruinous to the economy, innovation and American competitiveness. It reminds me of 1982, when former MPAA CEO Jack Valenti famously testified to Congress that, “The VCR is to the American film producer and the American public as the Boston strangler is to the woman home alone!”

But even as both sides have claimed victories in the battles that comprise the larger war, none of the predicted gloom and doom has come to pass. It’s business as usual for most, if not all, the major players involved.

The root cause of this war is a complex matter that confuses many, and bores most. At its core, the concept of copyright as codified in U.S. law is this: the creators of works are entitled to a limited period of time during which they have the exclusive right to use and profit from their work. (This same concept was expressed a bit differently by Samuel Johnson, who famously wrote, “No man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money.”)

At the same time, it is generally understood that, at a certain point, public good results from works being released from their copyrights and that, in certain cases, “fair use” should allow for the use of copyrighted materials without the permission of copyright owners.

While these principles are generally agreed to by all, how they should be interpreted — especially as technology continues to evolve — has created endless wrangling and debate. In overly simplistic terms, copyright owners — many times large corporations that have invested hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars developing their works — would like to see protection of their copyrighted assets extended forever. On the other side of the argument, companies who benefit from the use, hosting and sharing of copyrighted works prefer liberal use without permission (or at least that someone other than them be charged with enforcement, when copyright laws are broken).

Continue reading " #SOPA and #PIPA: Separating the Real from the Rhetoric "

Editor’s Note: Throughout the ongoing discussion regarding a proposed dues increase, some PRSA members have expressed interest in better understanding the value of PRSA National. In a May 2011 column in Public Relations Tactics, William M. Murray, CAE, PRSA president and chief operating officer, offered insight and commentary on the value of National and the role it plays helping PRSA’s 114 chapters and its 22,000 professional members succeed daily.

We spend a lot of time at PRSA thinking about member value and looking for ways to keep member satisfaction at its presently high level. One question that people occasionally ask me pertains to the value that our members receive from PRSA National, relative to the value that they receive from their local Chapters.

As the relationship between PRSA and its Chapters is cooperative, complementary and mutually beneficial, it’s sometimes difficult to know exactly where the value of National membership ends and the value of Chapter membership begins.

It’s a fair question — one that merits further exploration here. And perhaps the best way to answer this is by considering what our profession might look like without PRSA National.

Without a national organization knitting together PRSA’s Chapter network, there would be essentially 114 local PR organizations of different sizes, philosophies and membership criteria. Each former Chapter would be separate and distinct from other Chapters, as well as from similar organizations.

The members of these new organizations would have far fewer professionals to network with — most likely several hundred locally, compared with the 22,000 members of PRSA nationally.

Continue reading " PRSA Perspectives: The ‘Value of National’ Question "

Now that we’re more than halfway through a busy year at PRSA, it’s a perfect time to take stock of how 2011 is going. (Editor’s Note: PRSA Chair and CEO Rosanna M. Fiske, APR, offers her mid-year update in this video report.)

The good news is that, despite a challenging economy and lean finances — basically a break-even budget for PRSA this year — we are adhering closely to our operating plans for 2011 and are continuing on course to deliver existing, new and improved member benefits.

Like many organizations, PRSA has its own rhythms. We are currently in the process of selecting our future leaders and planning for our International Conference, which will be held Oct. 15-18, in Orlando, Fla. Sure, not all of our members run for office or attend our Conference, but chances are that we’re working on something that affects you or your Chapter, regardless of your plans.

Continue reading " PRSA’s Progress: Taking Stock of 2011 "

A few years ago, our colleagues at the Arthur W. Page Society published The Authentic Enterprise, a whitepaper that addresses the communications professional’s changing role. The paper emphasizes that:

“ … the corporation that wants to … achieve long-term success must, more than ever before, be grounded in a sure sense of what defines it — why it exists, what it stands for and what differentiates it in a marketplace of customers, investors and workers. Those definitions — call them values, principles, beliefs, mission, purpose or value proposition — must dictate consistent behavior and actions.”

I got to thinking about this recently when PRSA declined to take up a call-to-arms from Josh Bernoff, a well-respected analyst at Forrester Research and former PRSA conference keynoter, who was urging PRSA to create an industry-wide certification program for public relations professionals “who behave properly,” and to “de-certify” people “who don’t appear to care.”

Specifically, Bernoff was challenging PRSA to reduce the incidence of Spam email that he and other bloggers receive from public relations firms and corporate communications departments. “Right now,” Bernoff lamented, “every failure to respect an unsubscribe tarnishes [the public relations] industry.”

PRSA’s response was as honest as it was unequivocal: “We like the idea, but it’s not for us.” In other words, we support the end, we just disagree on the means.

Continue reading " Being an Authentic Enterprise "