The Invisible Hand of PR
John Stauber, founder of the industry watchdog PR Watch, has described the PR industry as “a huge, invisible industry … that’s really only available to wealthy individuals, large multinational corporations, politicians and government agencies.”1 How true is this? Is the PR industry so invisible?
1 DESCRIPTION. Test the so-called invisibility of the PR industry by seeing how often, and in what way, PR firms are discussed in the print media. Using LexisNexis, search U.S. newspapers—over the last six months—for any mention of three prominent PR firms: Weber Shandwick, Fleishman-Hillard, and Burson-Marsteller.
2 ANALYSIS. What patterns emerge from the search? Possible patterns may have to do with personnel: Someone was hired or fired. (These articles may be extremely brief, with only a quick mention of the firms.) Or these personnel-related articles may reveal connections between politicians or corporations and the PR industry. What about specific PR campaigns or articles that quote “experts” who work for Weber Shandwick, Fleishman-Hillard, or Burson-Marsteller?
3 INTERPRETATION. What do these patterns tell you about how the PR industry is covered by the news media? Was the coverage favorable? Was it critical or analytical? Did you learn anything about how the industry operates? Is the industry itself, its influencing strategies, and its wide reach across the globe visible in your search?
4 EVALUATION. PR firms—such as the three major firms in this search—have enormous power when it comes to influencing the public image of corporations, government bodies, and public policy initiatives in the United States and abroad. PR firms also have enormous influence over news content. Yet the U.S. media are silent on this influence. Public relations firms aren’t likely to reveal their power, but should journalism be more forthcoming about its role as a publicity vehicle for PR?
5 ENGAGEMENT. Visit the Center for Media and Democracy’s Web site (prwatch.org) and begin to learn about the unseen operations of the public relations industry. (You can also read SpinWatch.org.uk for similar critical analyses of PR in the United Kingdom.) Follow the CMD’s Twitter feed. Read some of the organization’s books, join forum discussions, or attend a PR Watch event. Visit the organization’s wiki site, Source Watch (sourcewatch.org), and, if you can, do some research of your own on PR and contribute an entry.