The Ethical Optimist

You know someone is reviled in the PR business when news of their failure is quickly passed on via email chains and the gleeful notes that accompany them.

Such is the case with a recent article on 5W PR’s CEO Ronn Torossian, which appeared on www.Gawker.com.  It’s not the first negative article on Mr. T, and I’ve no doubt it will be the last.

To understand, let me give you an excerpt from the article, “It’s important to understand why we—and others—talk about Ronn Torossian so much.  He and his firm are far from the biggest players in the PR industry, so it may seem strange that he gets so much attention.  The real reason he matters is that he embodies the public’s worst ideas about what a PR person is: loud, brash, more flash than substance, dirty, manipulative, amoral, and, in the end, not particularly bright.”

Ouch! Not the guy you want to have representing your industry.

Lest you think the Ethical Optimist has sympathy, let me reassure you, I don’t. Why? There’s some personal history here. I had the distinct displeasure in working with Ronn for a brief period of time at KCSA.  He did, in fact, embody the worst idea about a PR professional and a manager.  In fact, I would up telling my CEO that I refused to work with him…which did not sit well.  It was also probably the only time in my career that I have cussed out a co-worker.

Ronn’s recent troubles stem from his employment practices and a lawsuit filed by his former HR Director.  One has only to see the documented email string to figure out why he’s in trouble. Suffice it to say, he deserves to have his mouth washed out with soap.

Why am I telling you this? Well, because I’m a big believer in Karma and the belief that “What Goes Around Comes Around.”  If you don’t believe it yourself, this is a case in point.  At the higher echelons of the public relations industry, it’s a fairly small world.  Your word and your reputation count, even among your competitors.  Ronn’s is basically Mudd, and has been for a long time.

This was evidenced by no less than 20 emails I received from colleagues and folks who’d also worked for Ronn when the Gawker.com piece hit.  Each forward was preceded by a comment along the lines of, “couldn’t happen to a nicer guy…haha.”

The saddest part of this tale, however, is that the media continue to give Ronn and his firm credence.  It’s a case of one bad apple and gives our profession a black eye.  On a personal note, I wish we could better police this type of firm/manager, but as with many professions, that is just not possible.

I will offer strong props to Ronn’s former HR Director who blew the whistle on his practices and had the guts to stand up to him. You go girl!

Some could argue that licensing might be a cure, but there are plenty of unethical sleazy lawyers who have yet to be disbarred to discount that theory.

One can only hope that those of us who are also making a name for ourselves and our firms hold ourselves to a higher standard and insist that the world stand up and take notice.