The information age didn’t kill PR, but spin will
Digital media serves to enhance communication efforts, but only if pros focus on building relationships and avoid manipulation.
A recent MarketingProfs article by Lisa Calhoun states the information age has “killed” the public relations industry.
It’s an interesting article, and though I get Calhoun’s point that public relations as a profession needs to evolve, I don’t agree with the reasons she gives.
Calhoun warns that in the information age professionals in our industry must stop the old way of doing things and instead focus more on storytelling.
But here’s the thing: propaganda and “conscious media manipulation” are not a part of PR.
At its foundation, PR has always been about storytellingâ—ânot spin.
This point was ingrained into me in college and not something I’ve forgotten. I cringe at the word spin being applied to what I do, because it couldn’t be further from the truth.
Here’s a great definition of what PR is all about provided by The Public Relations Society of America:
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