P.R. Ethics Gone Crazy

Six AM, the blog of Richard Edelman of Edeman Public Relations points out a dangerous trend in p.r. -- linking public relations to shadowy payments for community relations as well as payoffs to local reporters.

Was I naive enough to think this stuff doesn't happen in America?

Sayeth Edelman in a January 20, 2006, post:

Another wonderful morning reading about the sleazy behavior of a so-called PR firm paying off a journalist to write favorably about a client. The stories in USA Today and the NY Times describe a pay-for-play arrangement organized by PR firm The Lewis Group with journalist Audry Lewis, a freelance journalist who received $10,000 for articles contributed to the Birmingham Times about former HealthSouth Richard Scrushy, on trial for defrauding investors. The Associated Press also reports that the Lewis Group paid a local pastor, Rev. Herman Henderson, to "help bring fellow black preachers into the courtroom in a bid to sway the mostly black jury in Scrushy's favor." A further complication--the PR firm is headed by Jesse Lewis Sr., founder of the Birmingham Times newspaper, whose editor is his son, James Lewis. To top it off, Charles Russell, described by the NY Times as a "prominent Denver based crisis communications consultant" working with Mr. Scrushy, also provided compensation ($2,500) to the journalist, for what Russell said was "freelance community relations work."

This sleazy arrangement was somewhat comically described by the editor, James Lewis, in the New York Times. He claims not to have known that the reporter was being paid, considering her a "community contributor" who was a classic citizen journalist. "Had I known the young lady was being paid by somebody, I'd have called Richard Scrushy and told him he could have bought an ad for a lot less money."

Isn't that exactly the point? Our business is being dragged down by an erosion of the hard and fast line between advertising and public relations. We don't buy space and we don't pay off journalists. We don't engage in murky relationships that are positioned with such code words as "doing community relations work."

Hat tip to Daily 'Dog for pointing the way to this commentary.

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Comments

[Joe Charles]

I think ethics is going away in america. I was hit by a car and the driver just left the scene. People rip each other off for $, parents quit when it gets rough.
Its time for change. People need a teaching in ethics before they can be prepared for life.