Tag: PRSA

Does PRSA Leadership Consider Gaslighting Ethical?

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For years, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) has designated September as ethics month. The organization also has its annual convention and leadership assembly, with delegates from every regional chapter, in October. So the last day of September is a good time on the cusp of the two to consider ethics and leadership in PRSA.

The key question as noted in the headline is whether the leadership of PRSA who promote ethics in the profession consider gaslighting to be an ethical action. That question comes up because that has been strongly alleged by one member, Mary Beth West, APR, Fellow PRSA.

West, a veteran PR professional and long-time PRSA member, has been in a long-term battle with PRSA leadership after she asked leadership questions about financial discrepancies, even to the point of non-compliance with New York State Law. She also requested information about finances and other leadership issues, such as the insider approach of the current board appointing their friends as new board members. She has continued complaining about a lack of disclosure and transparency.

“Disclosure of Information” is a provision of the PRSA Code of Ethics. However, after asking the PRSA leadership to basically adhere to its own code of ethics, West was met at first with stonewalling, and then with gaslighting, and even punitive retribution. PRSA leaders responded tersely, then harshly, and then threatened to take away her APR (Accreditation in Public Relations) and membership in the College of Fellows.  All this for being persistent in asking honest questions.

(Self-disclosure: I am also APR and a member of the PRSA College of Fellows).

Apart from her displeasure in PRSA leadership failure to follow its own ethics code, West is most concerned that members of PRSA are not aware of how the organization is being led and what is happening with their dues. This includes those members who will represent their chapter in a few weeks at the National Assembly. She has worked to bring these issues to light with her Facebook page called A Better PRSA and a series of YouTube videos documenting her interactions with the PRSA board called #prsagaslighting .

It is not clear if this issue will be resolved or sputter. But, it is not just something between West and the PRSA board; it is really between the board and all members. I know of more than a few long-time PRSA members who have let their memberships lapse or are considering doing so because of their own disappointment with leadership. 

The question is if those members who remain will take the time to review West’s documented evidence of questionable board behavior and then ask leadership some questions of their own. If more people do so, there may be a more honest and civil response. Or to use terminology from crisis theory, perhaps the board will be moved to more ethical response that eschews denial and attack the accuser strategies and moves to apology and corrective action. 

Attitudes Mixed Among PR Students, Professionals and Employers About Value of Certificate and Accreditation in Public Relations (APR)

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Professional organizations such as the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and others in the public relations field have created opportunities for formal professional credentials. There is the Certificate in Principles of Public Relations for students near graduation time, and for professionals there is Accreditation in Public Relations (APR).

However, perception of and participation in these professional credential opportunities is varied. I conducted surveys of public relations students and professionals to determine why people do or do not seek to attain these professional milestones. In addition, employers were surveyed to determine their awareness and perception of these professional achievements.

My partners in this project were John Forde, PhD, APR, Fellow PRSA, Professor at Mississippi State University, and Sharee Broussard, PhD, APR, Director of Public Affairs and Community Services at Mobile County, Alabama.

Results show students and professionals are more likely to consider practical external value (i.e. getting hired or promoted) than other idealistic personal motivations to pursue professional development achievements. Meanwhile, employers value professional credentials as nice to have but not necessary if candidates have proven experience.

Surveys were completed by 76 public relations students who had applied to take the Certificate in Principles of Public Relations; 68 students who were members of various student public relations organizations but had not applied for the certificate; 387 public relations professionals; and 45 employers who hire public relations employees. (All questions in the surveys were on 5-point scales).

Students who applied for the Certificate in Principles of Public Relations mostly were neutral or agreed that having the certificate would increase their chances of being hired (mean 3.3). However, they mostly disagreed or were neutral on whether their employer valued the certificate in the interview process (mean 2.5). 

Their comments reflect the disconnect between their own expectations and experience with actual potential and current employers:

  • “I don’t think the certificate added much to my education that my degree didn’t already offer.”
  • “The certificate has little value to employers often because they are unaware of the significance.”
  • “Most recruiters and employers did not know what my certification was, and therefore did not value it as I would have wished.”
  • “The certificate did not capture the attention of potential employers like I had hoped. Employers are more interested in applicable portfolio pieces related to the position you’re applying for.”
  • “The employers I interviewed with during my job hunt were either not aware of the Certificate in Principles of Public Relations at all, or did not consider it significant enough to bear an impact on their hiring decisions.”
  • “I don’t feel this certification has provided any value. I haven’t received any special consideration after obtaining the certification, nor have any prospective employers commented on it.”

Meanwhile, students who were members of PR groups but had not applied for the certificate were mostly not aware of the certificate—35 of 68 said they were “not at all” aware of it and 14 were only slightly aware (mean 2). Once it was explained to them and they were asked if they would seek the certificate, these students were mostly neutral or agreed (mean 3.3). They also were mostly neutral or agreed on whether the certificate would increase their chance of being hired or promoted (mean 3.67).

Professionals were more mixed with regard to perceptions of Accreditation in Public Relations. As a group they were very familiar with APR (mean 4.64), with 237 of respondents having earned APR and 134 not. Of those who were not yet accredited, they mostly agreed or were neutral about one day earning APR (mean 3.24). They mostly agreed (mean 3.6) that having APR would increase chances of being hired or promoted. 

Those with positive attitudes about APR spoke to demonstrating professionalism and commitment to the profession:

  • “I earned the APR to increase my PR knowledge and to have a credential that demonstrates my expertise to the world.”
  • “I earned it because my employer supported me in my journey, paid for the process and I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. The process was a great learning and taught me where I had gaps and also gave me confidence in my capabilities as a professional.”
  • “I believe the APR credential is the true sign of a professional PR counselor. Each time I receive the maintenance letter, I’ve submitted it to my boss and received great responses.”
  • “I earned the APR to reinforce my knowledge and increase my credibility as a practitioner.”

However, professionals also had negative perceptions of the value and process of accreditation. Comments as to why they would not seek APR included:

  • “Do not agree that the title can be taken away from you if you choose not to be a member of a professional organization annually.”
  • “Cost, too cumbersome of a process to go through, and my company is not interested in having me earn it.”
  • “Not sure if employers or clients recognize the value; is the effort required worth the benefit received?”
  • “I met Edward L. Bernays in the 1980s when he was pushing APR. It was useless then and it’s useless today. No one I know in the public relations firm world pays any attention whatsoever to accreditation.”
  • “I don’t see a need. I think it works for some, but with 20+ years’ experience and an MA in Communications Management, it feels redundant. I also find that outside of the industry, people don’t really know APR to give it any value/weight.”

Hiring managers were mostly in the public relations field (62%) as opposed to general human resources (22%) or other functions (15%). This may explain why most were aware of the Certificate in Principles of Public Relations (mean 2.9) and APR (mean 4.1). All together the group was likely to consider general non-degree credentials about the same as APR when hiring, (mean 4), but they considered the certificate in particular less valuable (mean 3.5).

While hiring managers said they would consider the certificate and APR, their comments showed they only considered these credentials in the context of other factors:

  • “Many PR professionals who do not seem very competent have earned their APR, which dilutes the significance of that accreditation.”
  • “Hands-on, day-to-day, client-facing, problem-solving, real-world experience. plus knowing how to think and write tops all else.”
  • “The most important traits I look for are intelligence, work ethic and positive attitude. Letters behind the name are great, but it’s not the first thing I look for.”
  • “Certificates do not mean the candidate is more qualified.  Having the basic knowledge of public relations, experience (even if it’s from an internship) and willingness to learn will determine if they are the right person for the job.”
  • “I’m an EVP and have hired communications people here and at two other agencies as well as a top consulting firm and I can say these particular development resources have never once come up as being desirable things for a candidate to have. We look at all kinds of professional development examples not just those prescribed by PRSA. I think it’s largely due to the fact that so few PR practitioners are even in PRSA, and only 10% of them get any of these certificates. It’s just too small a pool of people to put any weight on it.”

It is especially hard to communicate the value of these credentials when PRSA does not promote them to employers and others outside the field. Also, PRSA received considerable criticism from members when they decided not to require APR for members to be representatives to the national assembly at the annual conference.

If there is a bottom line here, it is that students may expect the Certificate to help them get a job, but that employers either don’t agree or see it as just one factor when hiring. As for professionals, APR may have personal or intrinsic value but there is little evidence that it matters to employers. 

Many Reasons to Get Your Accreditation in PR (APR)

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How do you know and prove that you are “legit” as a public relations professional? How do you know a PR person you want to hire as a consultant or employee knows what they’re doing?

One way is street “cred.” Another is professional accreditation.

Yesterday I spoke about Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) at the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) International Conference. It was to be in Nashville, but as everything else this year, it was virtual. Check out the conference program description of the session: “The Why, How, and What of APR.”

As co-chair of the PRSA APR Marketing Committee this year, I discussed why professionals would want to seek accreditation, which is the emphasis of this post. My colleague and co-chair Elyse Hammett, APR of the Atlanta Community Foundation went over the what, or process. You can also find more about that on the accreditation page of the PRSA website. Finally, two chapter APR chairs–Dan McFadden, APR, Strategic Communications Director of Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas, and Denver Peacock, JD, APR, ABC and Principal, the Peacock Group in Little Rock–shared a chapter program to encourage professionals seeking accreditation. (Email me if you want a copy of the full presentation).

Motivations from Altruistic to Practical

In 2019, there were 196 PR professionals who passed their APR exam, joining a growing number of accredited public relations professionals. This includes those who earned APR+M, a special accreditation for those who work in military public affairs. The question is, why?

It turns out, there are multiple motivators for pursuing APR. Yours may be among the ones I mention.

In 2015, I co-authored an article about these motivations for accreditation. We took data from a survey of those who took the APR exam and analyzed it for some insights. One general insight is that by far the majority of people seek the APR for altruistic reasons, such as simple personal satisfaction (82%), to be a better professional (80%), or to gain confidence in their own competence in strategic management (72%). Respondents obviously could answer all that apply.

Others were more practical in their desire to be accredited. The most common answers in this category was to get a promotion (33%) or to obtain a new job (26%).

Other motivations had to do with individual characteristics or where in the vast public relations arena a person practiced:

  • Younger professionals were more likely to seek the APR because of the added potential for a job promotion;
  • Men were more likely than women to see the APR as a way to earn respect from an employer or client;
  • Professionals who had been in public relations their entire careers were more likely to see the APR as a means to leverage a salary increase and promotion as a primary motivator;
  • Those in a tactical role were more likely to seek APR to position themselves when interviewing for a new job;
  • Those in a manager role saw the APR as a boost to get them a higher salary;
  • Those working in agency, nonprofit and government/military PR thought accreditation would help them gain respect from employers or clients.

You may see your own motivation to put APR behind your name on that list. Or you may have your own reasons. One thing is important to stress for everyone: there is an excellent ROI on the APR. The return on investment, relative to a master’s degree or a professional certificate program, is quite good. The APR process is less costly and time consuming than a master’s degree.

And, compared to professional certifications, which often certify in specific skills, the APR is a designation that a professional has an understanding of the field that is deep and broad. Anyone who earns APR has proven that they understand not just how to do tactics, but the theory, history, strategy and process of the field across all segments.

There’s one final motivator–to enhance the profession. Not only is that the sixth provision of the PRSA Code of Ethics, it’s a reality with regard to the APR. The more professionals who are accredited, the more the public at large will recognize with respect the hallmarks of an accredited professional and a profession worthy of credit.

Ethically Speaking, Are You a Child Or an Adult?

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September is PRSA Ethics Month again and it brought to mind a memory.

Years ago, long before I was a professor, I was speaking about public relations at an event and brought up the subject of ethics. An audience member sneered: “you can’t teach ethics.”

Well,  now I actually do teach ethics. So I could say that gentlemen was wrong. But his implied point is worth considering. What he really meant to say. is that you can teach ethics classes but that doesn’t mean people will behave ethically.

To that I say, of course. You can preach the gospel, but not all will believe. You can teach the importance of research, but not all will do it. You can conduct a fundraising campaign, but not all. will give.

In any of the above examples, of course the individual has their own will and responses will vary. That does not mean NONE will respond favorably, and therefore does not mean the activity is pointless or without merit.

So, in teaching ethics, the goal is inspiration, to make conscious the ethical implications of what we do in the profession, and then to instill a curiosity about the right thing to do and a motivation to be ethical in all professional practice.

There are two things that help my students internalize a lot of the ethical theories, concept and issues we discuss in class: the four motivations for being an ethical professional, and the three levels of ethical character.  I would encourage any PR professional to consider these in their daily practice::

Four motivations for being an ethical professional:

  • Personal = characterized by self-regulation, driven by personal conscience
  • Organizational = a concern for the corporate or organizational reputation, could be driven by policy or internal ethics code
  • Professional = to enhance the profession of public relations, in keeping with the 6th provision of the PRSA Code of Ethics
  • Societal = characterized by a big-picture concern for others, driven by a desire to contribute to the well-being of society (also called the professional role morality)

Three levels of ethical character:

  • “Child” – Acting ethically because of a fear of  punishment. (No developed internal ethical character)
  • “Adolescent” – Acting ethically to confirm to perceived group norm. (Which means can be easily persuaded by colleagues, boss,  or clients to engage in unethical practice).
  • “Adult” – Individual grasp of moral issue, personal principle. (Has internalized ethical principles and acts on basis of integrity and character more than external influence).

I’ll let people consider these for themselves. But I would say that some degree of all four motivations should be a basis for ethical behavior. And as for the levels of ethical character, I encourage all who practice PR to act like adults, and against the pressure from peers and others, be the ethical adult in the room.

PR Ethics Month…An Example and Some Resources

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September is PR Ethics Month, organized by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) with events planned at the national and chapter level. Here’s a list of ethics activities from Debra Petersen of the Dayton Area Chapter. 

At the beginning of this month, I want to point out the fact that ethical situations happen every day, all year long. By ethical situations, I mean daily activities in which one must consider the consequences of personal and professional actions. The fact that PRSA designates a month to it simply means ethics is that important to concentrate on for a full month every year.

For example, let me share a phone inquiry I just had about ethics.

A former colleague who practiced and taught journalism for years finds himself doing what is essentially public relations. He was recently asked by a client to gather information from various sources on key topics, and write blog posts under the name of this client as a means of developing “thought leadership.”

My friend smelled something and said he thought to call me right away to get some insight and advice. We had a good talk about the issue, and I confirmed his fears. Research is ok, but not sourcing information and then even going beyond to present it as original insight for the purpose of self promotion is clearly a violation of several ethical values and principles, including honesty, fair competition, and disclosure of information. My colleague, who used to deride public relations with the smugness typical of journalists, realized that legitimate PR professionals have a solid grasp of ethics and are often the ones providing that insight, even though the profession too often unfairly gets blamed for “PR problems.”

At the beginning of this year’s month-long emphasis on PR ethics, I would encourage students of PR, current professionals, and even and especially non-PR professionals to learn more about public relations ethics with the following: