Public Relations: A Right or A Privilege?

by lisa ~ January 26, 2009

All Americans have the right to legal representation. But do we have the right to public relations representation? Or - more to the point - do the unpopular, the maligned, the ostracized have a right to PR?

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has hired a PR firm to “coordinate media interviews…that are outside the scope of his job as governor,” according to the firm’s Twitter posting. This comes as the state Senate meets today to begin the impeachment process as a result of Blagojevich’s arrest on federal corruption charges last month.

Though much has been written in the mainstream press about this juicy new development, perhaps no one has been as derisive as Washington Times editor Carleton Bryant. Yesterday Bryant blogged, “I don’t think Blagojevich understands the purpose of public relations: It’s to make the unlikable likable, not the guilty innocent.”

That’s inaccurate.

In my extensive experience in crisis communications, I’ve found that it’s nearly impossible to make the unlikable likable. Making the guilty innocent would be a miracle. The primary purpose of PR, in a crisis situation, is to communicate the facts and correct any inaccuracies while working to improve perceptions of the subject.

Blagojevich may improve his reputation if he can successfully and credibly accomplish this in his appearances on “Larry King Live” and “Good Morning, America.” Let’s hope his agency provides him with intensive media training.

But it seems to me that he’s starting off on the wrong foot. By reportedly skipping today’s impeachment proceedings, he’s conveying the impression that he’s an arrogant politician who’s above the law. And that isn’t helping his reputation at all.

To read Carleton’s full post, click here.

Lisa Tibbitts (Lisa.Tibbitts@Me.com) is a corporate communications expert with extensive experience in financial services. She is based in New York.