The Ethical Optimist

I read an interesting article about an ethics course state workers will be taking in Illinois.

According to the article:

More than 200 state employees are expected to take part in the ethics seminar at University of Illinois-Chicago. Featured speakers include agency heads, as well as speakers from Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s own office.

What shocked me about the story, were the comments from readers who felt that the training was a waste of taxpayer money.  For example:

What a farce! I can imagine the travel and per diem costs plus the course costs…can our money be better spent?? What fools we are for keeping these leaders in office…believe we can do better with Joe Citizen running the government…it wouldn;t be without mistakes, but I don’t believe they would be calculated mistakes…

To consider ethics training in government or business a waste of money is absurd…if the training is structured correctly.  Very often, people who work in government, business, non-profit, or any organization for that matter, break the rules inadvertently.  They learn to do things “the way they’ve always been done” and never really question whether or not they are acting ethically or legally.

Others are just unsure of how to file a complaint or make ethical issues known to those who can do something about them in an anonymous matter.

Ethics training often sheds light on both issues.  It gives guidance on what the rules are, where to find them, and how to raise a red flag when there is doubt.  

I’d rather see governments spend money on ethics training and reporting mechanisms than on $10,000 hammers.

Our shop tends to be a heavy media relations shop. I’m not sure why we’ve come to fill this niche, but we have. In addition to our own clients, we’re often tapped by other, larger agencies, to handle national media outreach for their clients.

As much as we like to talk about our profession in all encompassing terms, the measure of many a program is results. Clients have a clear expectation: “Did you get my message out there?”

In fact, I’m seeing a distinct trend in more and more large agencies outsourcing the media relations function. Why? First and foremost, they need results or they’ll lose their accounts. Well, from what I can see, many of the younger people coming out of college with a PR degree were never told that speaking to media would be part of the job.

Are we so ashamed of this necessary function that we’ve decided to ignore it altogether? We’ve tried so hard to elevate our profession and put a disclaimer on press agentry, that the schools who feed us our workers now chose to brush it aside.

In fact, several young folks I’ve hired recently told me they did not have a single course in school regarding how to work with the media. They were taught how to communicate (in theory), and they were taught how to write a press release…period.

Ah, hello out there, didn’t anyone tell them that writing a release is only half the battle…you actually have to place the information somewhere? In my world, that usually requires a phone call, email, follow up, another phone call, another email, more follow up, etc.

In reality, some of my better media people have a sales background. I’m not as focused at choosing those with a PR degree anymore. Those who’ve done time in the sales trenches don’t flinch when it comes to picking up the phone and selling a message. The downside is that they may not have the “news” background they need to understand which messages will play well.

I see this becoming even more of an issue as the media fragments, downsizes, and original source reporting becomes a thing of the past. How can we counsel clients on developing messages and getting them out to their audiences if we don’t work with and understand the changing dynamics of today’s complex media landscape?

The PR academic community needs to do a better job of preparing students for the challenging job market they are about to face. These young people (and their parents) are paying a great deal of money to learn how to write a press release, but few are being prepared to handle the complexities of the job.

Since I’ve covered the Agriprocessors PR issues in previous posts, I thought I’d alert you to the latest news appearing on CNN.com.  The story is titled “Slaughterhouse charged with using child labor.”  To date, there is no official response from the company.

According to the story:

The complaint alleges more than 9,000 violations of Iowa’s child labor law at the plant in Postville, saying the violations involved 32 children under age 18, including seven who were younger than 16.

An affidavit said children were exposed to dry ice and chlorine solutions and were operating conveyor belts, meat grinders, circular saws, power washers and power shears.

It will be interesting to see what kind of response, if any, will be made on their behalf.

9-10-08: Since my last post, the following has appeared:

Statement from a company spokesman

“Within the coming days, or lets say a week or two, we will suspend our supervision unless there’s new management in place,” said Rabbi Menachem Genack, the O.U.’s head of kosher supervision.
If the Orthodox Union suspends supervision, they are out of business.

According to one blogger “…the U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued a citation against AgriProcessors for violating the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act.”

If you are in PR, and you are not watching the DNC or RNC, you’re missing an important professional development opportunity.  People often fail to realize that political campaigns are wonderful examples of PR and communications theory in action.

I am currently absorbed in observing every aspect of each convention: the messages, the people who are delivering them, how they are delivered, the timing and order of the speakers, what they wear, etc.  Each move is deliberately calculated to strategically deliver a message.  Right down to what the speakers are wearing.

Take a good look at the sidebar coverage, and who’s being interviewed.  If you noticed, the democrats made sure to give the media a good cross section of America for interviews…black, hispanic, asian, white, etc.  These folks are offered up for a reason, not just because the producer snagged them for comment as they walked by.

I find the way messages are presented fascinating.  We should also pay attention to the fact that research, in the form of ongoing polling, is critical.  After every speech, polling is done to ensure that the message hit its mark effectively. If not, the next message is tweaked to fill any gaps.  We are a profession that constantly talks about the importance of research, but nobody does it better than those on the political front lines (after all, they have the money).

Public Relations is about starting and redirecting opinions and public discourse.  Look what’s happened with the Palin announcements…like it or not, it has raised the level of discourse about working mothers.  Now, how to steer the conversation…that’s what makes it so interesting to watch.

Why is this important? Because it’s a teaching moment.  While messages won’t alter the opinions of those who are already decided (if you’re a die hard dem or republican, you’re voting your party), they do affect the millions of Americans who vote, but are not necessarily engaged in the political process.  These “swing” votes are what will determine the outcome of the election.  Ordinary people who are swayed by a myriad of messages, both verbal and visual.