By Ashleigh McQuoid
In the age of information overload and fake news, Public Relations is a strong tool for protecting organisations’ reputations, dealing with crises, and stopping the spread of misinformation. Yet, amongst all the good that Public Relation specialists do, many people still struggle to understand the profession.
Public Relations as defined by PRINZ is, ‘The deliberate, planned, and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding and excellent communications between an organisation and its publics.’[1]
A broad misconception about Communications is that it is easy. Sure, having the ability to understand language allows you to communicate, it however takes more than that to communicate to different audiences, ensure a message is received and understood. It takes training and practice to engage people effectively.
What many people also don’t know about Public Relations and Communications in New Zealand is that all affiliated PRINZ members are sworn to work by a Code of Ethics. This Code includes:
- Using actions and words to build trust
- Always being accurate and truthful
- Serving the public interest and aiding public debate
- Dealing fairly with those we interact with, including media
- Promoting open communication in the public interest, whenever possible
- Abiding by the law
This code is in place to ensure that Public Relations is done properly and is a trustworthy service in New Zealand.
Although Public Relations isn’t a holy grail sector that can solve every problem, it helps convey understanding and has achieved many great things in the past. Public Relations was a huge part of managing the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as other natural disasters that New Zealand has faced. Not to mention the amazing campaigns that Public Relations professionals regularly assist with all over Aotearoa.