Lest There Be Any Confusion...

What Armstrong Williams did -- taking money on the hush hush to promote No Child Left Behind -- is wrong in anyone's book. His actions, and more significantly, the very unethical actions of the national PR firm Ketchum in setting up the whole transaction, has discredited not just pundits, but public relations folks like me.

To clarify what PR thinks of this, our national association released this yesterday:

Statement on Disclosure of Financial Interests;
U.S. Department of Education/No Child Left Behind
January 11, 2005

Yesterday's public apology by a media commentator who promoted "No Child Left Behind" in his broadcasts without revealing that his comments were paid for by a public relations agency under contract to the government, was a welcomed response, said Judith T. Phair, APR, Fellow PRSA, president and CEO of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA.) However, she added, the tactic is not in keeping with the ethical practice of public relations. "The relationship should have been disclosed up front, no question."

Speaking on behalf of the 20,000 public relations professionals who are members of PRSA and subscribe to the PRSA Member Code of Ethics, Phair said, "As public relations professionals, we are disheartened by this type of tactic. It does not describe the true practice of 'public relations.' PRSA strongly objects to any paid endorsement that is not fully disclosed as such and is presented as objective news coverage. Such practices are clearly contrary to the PRSA Member Code of Ethics, which requires that public relations professionals engage in open, honest communications, and fully disclose sponsors or financial interests involved in any paid communications activities. We encourage all public relations professionals to follow the responsible and ethical practice of public relations, as outlined by our Code of Ethics."

I am really curious, though, why the focus is entirely on Williams. What Ketchum did is even more wrong that what another big PR firm, Edelman, did by stealing from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power by overbilling.

The media distrusts and dislikes PR firms, so you think they'd be looking into Edleman's contract and carryings-on in a big way. I guess they're too focused on getting their hooks into a black conservative and the Bush Administration to deal with the probable instigators of the whole mess.