Disclosure and Ethics In PR

Hi Gini ! Thanks for posting this. Frankly, this is where i look to the premier protectors of PR standards, such as PRSA and the Counselors Academy, to voice their concerns quite publicly when someone, such as Bell Pottinger, steps over the line. To me, we have too much silence from our accreditation bodies and standards setters when this, the likes of the Burson-Marsteller scandal over Google-Facebook, the Bush VNR mis-usage, and now this blatant transgression occur. Some may assail me on this: But , overall, PR needs to be more brave in publicizing its own transgressions and condemning them. The whole industry reputation goes down when these unanswered transgressions occur.

Reputation is what you make of it. The sad thing is that so many of these "large firm" PR companies simply feel like they are doing what they need to, no matter if it is (to use an SEO term) "gaming the system". I commend you for remaining ethical in a kind of industry that almost demands you to not be.

To me, this kind of Wikipedia-gaming just gets lumped in with the black and gray SEO practices we have heard about, buying fans, and things like the PR firm you wrote about that created fake news sites and stories.

I just can't understand how people live with themselves knowing they are doing this. I know I could make money managing company social media accounts using the standard tweet/post conversation starter approach. But I won't do it because I know it isn't really effective. It's not unethical, but I don't want to take money for something I don't believe really gets results Then, you have people like this willing to take money to do clearly unethical things, and that will hurt their clients in the long run!! Ugh.

I guess part of the onus is on businesses to actually know what the firm is doing, and not go with ones that are unethical.

I've seen this for all kinds of entries: business, political, sports, entertainment. And crack up when some flamer, troll or sockpuppet gets their opinions, astroturfing, SPIN 'protected' - someone's asleep at the wheel. Which is why I learned long ago not to link back or cite Wikipedia for anything. It's a decent starting point, quick reference but that's about it.

For an agency of record to go through all the steps to do this, to claim 'they didn't know' - when

you can't throw a (search) stick and not hit a post or story that doesn't mention transparency and disclosure? Feign innocence when other agencies have been publicly busted (I remember that iTunes case)? Then to sell this as part of client service?! Most people would feel icky just liking their own post, this takes the UGH cake. FWIW.

Wow! Excellent, informative post.

It's interesting that people's attitudes about Wikipedia are swinging so wildly, especially since it was one of the original case-studies in social content creation/crowd-sourcing whereby people take ownership over topics in which they're passionately interested. While it's obvious that the system can be manipulated (i.e this story here and Bachmann's revisionism), I'm not sure Wikipedia is going away anytime soon.

I don't trust Wikipedia farther than I can throw them and I would gladly watch them disappear. I have seen more than a handful of questionable incidents take place there. Their existence is "proof" that people believe that if it is written on the Internet it must be true.

I love the Moron of the Week Award - I just don't want it ;)

Okay...is it just me, or does getting a private audience with Jimmy Wales seem like a reward instead of a punitive measure? And, really...do they have the capacity to learn anything form him or from the consequences of their manipulative behavior?

I'm not so sure that people who lie and cheat their way through their professional lives are that much different from those committing human rights violations. Whether you claim ignorance or a higher cause to justify bad behavior, it is reprehensible regardless.

Well will people realize that in this day and age of technology if you do stuff like this you are going to get caught?!? Not only are you going to get caught it will be flaunted everywhere, screaming what you did and how! It will be on every news outlet, website, etc.

Start using common sense!

Wow - so rather than delivering a good product and obtaining positive feedback from real users, PR firms are creating fake accounts and fake pr. That is heartwarming.

Why not apply the time spent avoiding the right approach and see if it can yield better results.

What a total Sham!

It is amazing. The level of arrogance just keeps going up doesn't it? What's next? How much more will people take before they just don't read anything anyone writes anymore because all of it is tainted?

why is this a weekly award now.. sad

My god, this boggles the mind. Maybe it's my conscious or my training as a journalist, but I cannot fathom why people think they can get away with doing this. You always get caught, ALWAYS, and reputations are ruined. In this age of social interaction on the Internet, full disclosure from companies and their employees is a must.

BTW Gini, my condolences for yesterday. Tebow has done it again.