New voices revive licensing debate
Kenya's proposal to regulate PR practice highlights how different markets are tackling questions of professional credibility.
It was 20 years ago or so, at the first Indian edition of the ICCO Global Summit, when I was lucky enough to hear Harold Burson hold forth on the merits of licensing PR practitioners. Given the legendary scope of the late Burson founder's career, this surely accounts for little more than a footnote — but I was reminded of his views upon visiting Nairobi last week for the inaugural Africa Global PR Week.
The Kenyan Parliament is currently debating a bill that seeks to regulate PR practice, setting out formal standards for the registration and licensing of practitioners while also outlining responsibilities and a code of conduct. This kind of initiative is rare; I cannot think of any other countries that regulate PR practice by law — although it does appear that similar moves have been mooted in a handful of African countries, and in Malaysia.
Harold Burson, for his part, felt that licensing might be a good idea — helping PR people overcome their "derogatory" depiction in the media. That stance, as it happened, represented a reversal of his previous views on the matter. He admitted it would "get in the way of how a lot of firms do business," explaining why regulation remains something of a third rail in the PR business.
