Letter from CIPR Deputy Chief Executive Phil Morgan published in the Financial Times, 8 January 2015
Sir,
John Lloyd’s otherwise pleasing and positive piece (“End the feud between the spinners and the fourth estate”, Comment, January 7) still misses an essential point about public relations by casting it entirely in terms of journalism.
The analysis that “PRs represent clients who want certain messages to go out” glosses over the fundamental role of public relations — building relationships — which is a strategic mission that depends on a dialogue between an organisation and its key audiences.
The reason public relations has taken so well to social and digital media is because those channels are two-way, facilitating a conversation far more effectively than editorial journalism could as it continues to cling to an analogue outlook. PR has moved on.
If journalism is playing catch up to public relations it is because PR offers organisations coherence and strength, and a greater potential to meet their objectives than can be achieved through just managing journalists.
Phil Morgan MCIPR
Deputy Chief Executive,
Chartered Institute of Public Relations,
London WC1, UK
Notes to editors
About the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR)Founded in 1948, the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) is the Royal Chartered professional body for public relations practitioners in the UK and overseas. The CIPR is the largest membership organisation for PR practitioners outside of North America. By size of turnover and number of individually registered members, we are the leading representative body for the PR profession and industry in Europe.
The CIPR advances professionalism in public relations by making its members accountable to their employers and the public through a code of conduct and searchable public register, setting standards through training, qualifications, awards and the production of best practice and skills guidance, facilitating Continuing Professional Development (CPD), and awarding Chartered Public Relations Practitioner status (Chart.PR).