Ethical PR

I was at a "working interview" for a PR firm in Atlanta earlier this week, and an advertising representative from an Atlanta magazine came in to speak to the group about some possible ad opportunities for our clients. During the meeting, she explained that most of the editorials written in their magazine are about restaurants, people, etc. who advertise with them. She even quoted a price for an editorial, but got caught up in her words multiple times, saying the editorials were $1,000, then other times saying they had a value/worth of $1,000. This all got to be very confusing, and then one of the associates at the firm started to ask about it. She said the publication sounded much more like an advertorial as opposed to editorial publication. The rep said they write on anything that they feel is of interest to their readers, but it just so happens that most of their articles are about advertisers. The PR associate then explained that if it is an advertorial publication, then it is her duty, as an ethical PR practitioner, to explain that to her clients. She also stated that "editorials" that are paid for should say "special advertisement." The ad rep was clearly flustered and trying to cover up and hide her tracks, but she knew she was caught in the act.

It really made me happy to see that there ARE ethical people and PR practitioners and firms out there who are loyal to their clients, but also the general public. In today's society when PR really gets a bad name sometimes, this experience really gave me a fresh and inspiring perspective.