Stand up and be counted!

Tom Murphy asks fellow PR practitioners to stand up for our industry, and work to change the pervasive negative image of PR. Negative image you say? Just think of the word spindoctor and all of the connotations that come along with it. As Murphy discusses in his post, PR suffers from misperceptions, stereotypes and ignorance.

It is time that right minded practitioners stood up to these issues.� Industry bodies have in the past, with the best of intentions, tried to tackle these issues but for a variety of reasons they’ve had little success.

What is required is for PR people to stand up,�address issues, highlight poor practice, respond to ill-informed criticism and stop accepting untruths.

I don’t accept that�PR should by synonymous with spin, dishonesty or stupidity.
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PR is a fantastic career. It is challenging. It provides an important service not just to global multinationals but to non-profit organizations and individuals.

The only way to tackle these negative perceptions is for every right-minded practitioner to be counted on this�issue. You must take responsibility for your own profession.

I agree with Murphy that PR is a challenging and rewarding career, and accept his call to stand up and be counted as a thoughtful, passionate PR practitioner.