PR found wanting by the general public and other professions

A lack of professional standards and engagement with the public, business, government, media and NGOs are the root cause of a trust deficit in PR.

A report published by Professional Associations Research Networks (PARN) reports that 11% of the public believe PR professionals are trustworthy.

PR is the least trusted profession and is perceived to be biased, elitist and misleading.

It’s a depressing read and a call to action to practitioners and the leaders of PR organisations.

As a benchmark, the average level of trust among the UK population in NGOs, business, government and media has reached a low of 42% according to the Edelman Trust Barometer.

Trust has two components: ethical practice and competency based on skills and qualifications.

It is demonstrated by professional standards. This includes a barrier to entry for practice, an ethical code, continuous learning and a community that bridges theory and practice.

Professionalism is a work in practice for public relations. It’s a conversation as old as the industry itself.

PR practitioner claim to adhere to professional standards but don’t hold themselves to the same standards as other professions.

A fraction of practitioners are members of a professional association. Continuous learning and professional qualifications are the exception rather than the norm.

300 practitioners have achieved the highest level of professional practice and received Chartered status from the CIPR. It’s a rounding error in a market of 95,000 practitioners in the UK (PRCA Census 2019).

It’s little wonder then that PARN reports that PR is deemed to be the least knowledgeable profession (44%) as measured by other professions.

In a market where anybody can call themselves a PR practitioner, individuals need to take their own professional development seriously. Time served should not and is not a measure of competence.

What’s missing is engagement between the PR profession and the public, business, media and NGOs on societal issues that PR can help tackle.

The industry needs to stop talking to itself and engage with wider society. It needs to do its own PR.