Let’s begin with the truth. Not all public relations people lie, but some do. Not all presidents lie, but some do. Not all legal analysts lie, but some do. Not all media representatives lie, but some do.
Shocking revelation.
But the two things that bother me most about this recent brouhaha between the PRSA and Andrew Cohen and the media and Scott McClellan are the hypocrisy involved and the fact that this is even a story.
So Scott McClellan writes a book that is deemed controversial because he admits to intentional deception on the part of the Bush administration. Please, find me at least two people over the age of 18 who are surprised. So why is this a controversy? It is wrong (as least according to my personal ethics), but controversial? Please.
Then there is the non story involving certain members of the public relations industry who are apparently upset that Scott McClellan may have violated PRSA ethical standards. First of all, who are these PR people, how many of them are there, and what “exactly” are they saying? I was not aware that the industry was being undone by Scotty Mack.
However, according to Andrew Cohen, the industry is up in arms and that was reason enough to put the entire industry into a single cooking pot and light a fire. Given this total lack of sensitivity and blatant ignorance, why would anyone even care what he says? I don’t. Let him chirp away. Please… who is listening?
But hold on a minute here; should I not be defending my own profession? Don’t I have some obligation to take up weapon and shield on behalf of the PR industry and support its apparent indignation? Please.
The lady doth protest too much, methinks.
Truth be told, there are a lot of really slimy people in this world. And they can be found in every profession – PR, politics, law and the media. There are also a lot of really great people in this world. And they too can be found in every profession.
To be perfectly honest, as it relates to this “issue” du jour, I could not care less about McClellan or Cohen or the PRSA.
As my dad used to tell us: “Call me when you have something good to say.”
