Fifty shades of grey
Does PR represent the worst of late-stage capitalism, or could it actually be a force for good?
Pick any four public relations professionals – as we did for a panel at ICCO’s Global Summit this November in Mumbai – and you’ll get first-hand testimony of the grey areas that get in the way of any simple judgments about the morality of public relations. Having to take a side in a fundamentally complex ethical issue. Being kept from the table while business decision-makers make bad decisions about communicating questionable behaviour. Weighing the business benefit of promoting untrammeled consumption against its negative environmental impact.
You’ll also get grown-up and sensible advice about how to navigate such choppy waters.
But first, the problem. Even before the US administration’s assault on DEI, the environment (and the truth), the PR industry and the communications discipline was already under increasing fire for perceived greenwashing, working with polluting companies, industries and even countries, as well as promoting unfettered consumption. In a world where corporations are pulling back from progressive public positions on the environment and diversity, equity and inclusion, and trust is eroding in public institutions, how can communications practitioners and agencies claim to be a force for good?
