The Truth, the Press, and PR
Today, newspapers across the country are publishing editorials on the value and importance of the free press. It seems relevant to revisit a statement the Public Relations Society of America issued on January 24, 2017:
PRSA Statement on “Alternative Facts”
Truth is the foundation of all effective communications. By being truthful, we build and maintain trust with the media and our customers, clients and employees. As professional communicators, we take very seriously our responsibility to communicate with honesty and accuracy.
The Public Relations Society of America, the nation’s largest communications association, sets the standard of ethical behavior for [our] 22,000 members through our Code of Ethics. Encouraging and perpetuating the use of alternative facts by a high-profile spokesperson reflects poorly on all communications professionals.
PRSA strongly objects to any effort to deliberately misrepresent information. Honest, ethical professionals never spin, mislead, or alter facts. We applaud our colleagues and professional journalists who work hard to find and report the truth.
—Jane Dvorak, APR, Fellow PRSA, Chair of the Society for 2017
Truth and integrity are at the heart of our practice at Hausman. We’re proud that for more than a decade we have earned the trust of both our clients and journalists by delivering information and ideas that are fact-checked and objective.