Is transparent New Media a challenge to the power of PR

The internet may have revolutionised the practice of PR, the way PR professionals communicate and the nature of communication itself - CIPR even has a set of social media guidelines. New media has brought about eventualities that were never before considered possible, like sending out a press release to the press whereas at the same time competitors can access it. This is the type of transparency that faces PR professionals. But does it challenge the power of PR?

It may in some ways, given that PR has always taken a back seat and relied on third party endorsements. On the other hand, social media is vital for PR as it offers unlimited opportunities for the PR professionals to use this medium intelligently and effectively. Every organization wants transparency and the new media is just the right ingredient in ensuring that the public does not doubt the fact that transparency is at the forefront of every organization's agenda. It provides a framework for good practice. I agree with Phillips and Young's argument that the authentic voice of organizations that flows through the corporate shell has tremendous impact outside and may be part of a managed process of making organizations more competitive (p. 47).

The growth of social media tools such as Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace and of virtual communities, virtual environments and information sharing sites and blogs has made the PR professional think critically of how to deal with all aspects of PR in light of new media. Talk of Crisis communication and New Media, Internal Comms and New Media, Political PR and New Media...PR and New Media is unlimited.

That however has only but improved the way PRs explore and experiment with new technologies and new ways of thinking to get messages across in an environment that has been made far more transparent thanks to social media. More than ever before, it is the actions of the organizations that shape reputation and not the image crafted for that organization by other parties.

References
Phillips and Young(2009), Online Public Relations: A practical guide to developing an online strategy in the world of social media (2nd ed.), CIPR, Kogan Page, London.

CIPR Website: http://www.cipr.co.uk/socialmedia/

New Media, opportunity or limitation?

Companies view social media as the solution to most of their communications gaps. As indicated in this article, Corporates are increasing turning to social media for reputation management even as research shows that 70% of agencies blame social media as the main cause of crisis for companies. Social media, however viewed to be effective, is one tool that most have difficulties in getting right. The fact that companies have to work with the in an industry that is full of blogger and "twitters" it is actually important to get it right.

Social media as it is, should be very significant in how messages are disseminated because the existing social groups are constrained by geographical boundaries and cultural differences. Al Qaeida has used social media to spread messages of fear and terror, they are fully in control of how and when messages go across. Clearly, there is no need for a center, the web is a virtual portable homeland.

Facebook has 350million users worldwide according The Virtual Revolution -Enemy of the State, aired on BBC 2. How then do we use this important medium that has over 350million people involved? PR has often used social media for successful viral campaigns such as "Bring Back Wispa", and "Obama Presidential Campaign" proving that new media provides one of the most effective tools of communication.


PRWeek, (2010), Corporates increasingly turn to social media to mend damaged reputation

Truth...the first casualty of war?

Everyone recognizes propaganda when it consists of a direct lie. That is why the actions of Goebbels and Stalin on behalf of their respective governments present a minimal theoretical problem. Infact, an excerpt from Bernays states that government is government only by virtue of public acceptance, whether constitutional, communists, monarchical or democratic because it depends upon consenting public opinion for the success of their efforts.

As a PR student, watching War Spin: the media and the Iraq War, leads me to the conclusion that propaganda is harmful. Yet, when asked what we would do, supposing we were working for the Ministry of Defence, we naturally took role of the 'bad guy' but made it look angelic as we sought to prove that our messages were meant to benefit the people we were communicating to. I wonder if any of us would have taken that stand before watching the movie...we probably would have said "I'll resign".

Governments and the military have always used propaganda in a negative way and treat is as 'a necessity to mobilize' its citizens. Mussolini, Hitler and Stalin regimes, first and second world wars, the gulf war, Iraq invasion ... The list could go on and on.

Yet in a strange uneasy way, propaganda is used to influence masses effectively to this day. It was used to consolidate and galvanize nations throughout the first and second world wars. McCusker shows how its use in the first Gulf War was responsible for turning the tide of public opinion against Iraq, towards the US resolve for participation in the conflict - commonly known as the incubator tale.

But then, do governments have to lie to those who elected them? The invasion of Afghanistan was easier to understand as a country was on a mission to protect itself from terrorist attacks after the 9/11 attacks. The Iraqi war has not been justified, yet it was an expensive war and the famous WMDs that are still ‘at large’.

The war saw thousands of people (civilians and soldiers) lose their lives, was it for a worthy cause? What is the implication when such propaganda creates a public and possible international outroar? Obviously integrity, honesty, responsibility to the public and ethics are put on the line. Tench (2009) states that it is easier to judge others for using propaganda than to examine ones own practises (p. 253). The situation being "I practise PR, you practise Propaganda". Food for thought, huh.

References
Bernays, E., (1928), Propaganda, Ig Publishing, New York

McCusker,(2005), Talespin: Public Relations disasters-inside stories & lessons learnt, Kogan Page, London

PR Watch.org, How PR sold the War in the Persian Gulf ; http://www.prwatch.org/books/tsigfy10.html

Tench and Yeomans (2009), Exploring Public Relations (2nd ed.), Pearson, Essex.