News

Like many of you reading this, I’ll be spending this month desperately trying to keep up New Year’s resolutions to stay fit, eat healthier and generally be more active – at least until the first call for post-work drinks comes around.

One important resolution that it is essential all PR professionals keep, however, is ensuring all content and information shared is produced to the highest professional and ethical standards.

It may sound like stating the obvious. Yet 2019 ended with several examples of questionable ethical behaviour from political comms teams during the general election – including allegations of one party’s head of press forging emails to a journalist.

In the age of ‘fake news’ and misinformation spread through social media channels, it’s more important than ever for PR professionals to maintain integrity and uphold the reputation of the organisations they represent.

Indeed, the International Public Relations Association recently created a new definition of PR to fit the times we live in, which defines the practice as building relationships and interests between organisations and their publics ‘based on the delivery of information through trusted and ethical and communication methods’.

As we look forward to an exciting new decade ahead filled with new opportunities and challenges, maintaining these principles will be one important resolution PR as an industry must continue to keep this year and every year going forward if it is to be taken seriously in the business mix.