by By Anna Mueller
When a young person thinks of PR, they might think, “PR package.” They might think, “PR relationship.” Public relations, though, is not a cute gift box from Tarte Cosmetics. It is not a fake relationship between Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner. Public relations is careful, concentrated communication.
Often overlooked in PR is the ability to carefully manage a client’s sensitive documents. Yes, it is important to be able to think creatively and make a quality slide presentation, but it is also important to be responsible, specific, and mindful of the things others might miss. It is even not unlikely that a PR professional will sign a non-disclosure agreement when working with a client.
Public relations professionals get to peek behind the curtains at a given company and spin whatever they need to spin in order to make that company as efficient and successful as possible. This must be done accurately and knowledgeable.
For a more specific example of how public relations professionals must maintain high levels of tact and professionalism when crafting rhetoric that represents a company:
Perhaps no topic to be handled more delicately by public relations professionals is legal proceedings. To avoid their own infractions, PR professionals need to understand the First Amendment, defamation laws, and basic legal terminology.
More specifically, when writing about a claim or court proceeding, no person should be labeled as a criminal unless they have received a conviction by the courts and any supposed crime should be considered “alleged” until a judge has reached a sentence. Even the most seemingly related legal terms can hardly ever be used interchangeably. It may not seem obvious to the average person, but a public relations professional especially cannot mess this up.
To avoid criminal convictions of your own and to uphold public relations standards of ethics and practice, just follow these two simple steps:
1) Do your research!
Writing an article or report on any legal proceeding requires in-depth knowledge of the claim as it makes its way through the courts. How is libel related to defamation? How is slander different than libel? Read law journals that provide information on these basic topics. Are you not referencing any legal proceedings in your campaign? This basic logic can be applied to any public relations client. If you are Dutch Bros’ latest social media coordinator, you better become an expert on all things coffee, their competitors, and their product. In short, you want to avoid someone looking at your work and saying, “That’s speculation, your Honor.”
2) Keep it clean and to your client’s standards.
Public relations work is not a space for personal opinion. When working with a client on a campaign, it is crucial to work with their unique voice. Avoid injecting opinion into an otherwise fact or research-based campaign. It’s not the time, nor the place.
And especially when it comes to writing a briefing or press release for a client that references something legal, it is generally best to not provide opinion – leave that to the lawyers. Keep all facts presented as such and include links to court documents, press releases, and judicial opinions as necessary.
The Public Relations Society of America code of ethics is a great place to start when it comes to learning about the communication standards expected of professionals in the field.
Ultimately, whether the piece of writing you, as a public relations professional, are working on references the law or a new skincare product, it is important to be professional and concise in your communication. Messiness and opinions can be left in the comment sections.
