Time to walk the talk 12.0

Report card – tots, toddlers, walkers

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve surveyed the professed attitudes to ethics of the world’s top ten public relations companies, putting particular emphasis on the topic du jour, astroturfing: the unethical practice of setting up phoney grassroots organisations or campaigns.

Many firms don't address ethical issues on their websites. They have no Code of Practice and no Code of Conduct. Nothing to explicitly address matters central to the reputation of the PR industry. I guess they’re just too busy, in their own words, leading, expanding, innovating, collaborating, committing, recruiting the finest talent and being recognised by their industry peers. Or maybe they're content to leave the ethical running to the industry associations.

So I've developed three categories of maturity in PR ethical awareness  - tots, toddlers and walkers. Some firms never get as far as even talking the talk of ethical practice. They find it hard to talk. They’re the Tots. Then there are companies that talk the talk but have some difficulty walking it. They’re the Toddlers. And, finally, there are agencies that have comprehensive Codes of Practice, compliance mechanisms and 24/7 complaints arrangements for the disgruntled. Skin in the ethical game. The Walkers.

THE TOTS

Hill and Knowlton says its founder John Hill’s “philosophies of ethics and judgment underpin client counsel around the globe”. In 2004 Thomas W Hoog, senior counsel to the H&K chairman, was honoured by the Public Relations Society of America for “carrying the gospel of PRSA and the value of ethics and professionalism in public relations”. This is fine until you explore the H&K website searching for some articulation of the gospel. Given the values of its founder and its previous run-ins with astroturfing, Hill and Knowlton should be more prepared to walk the talk.

Ketchum has had its share of ethical woes – Armstrong Williams and Diet for a Poisoned Planet cases in point. Earlier this year CEO Ray Kotcher, in a commencement address at Boston University, said: “Never forget your integrity and credibility. Character takes a lifetime to build – it represents the sum of all of your actions. And now, more than ever, it can be destroyed in a moment. So please define your individual values and decide where the line is that you will not cross. Always communicate within the boundaries of those values.” But, when I searched the Ketchum website for a defining Code of Practice of some kind, I was unsuccessful.

Burson-Marsteller’s website includes a section entitled ‘Ethics/Code of Business’ that sets out expectations for employees. These include an injunction to “respect national laws and industry codes of conduct”. In a 13-point code that’s as near as it gets to proscribing practices such as astroturfing. According to former CEO Christopher Komisarjevsky: “Integrity is precious. It is earned only if it is genuine and consistent. It is earned only if it is communicated through behaviour. Words alone do not suffice.” Given its historical dabbling in astroturfing, it’s time B-M came out explicitly against the practice and got itself a more complete ‘Ethics/Code of Business’.

Weber Shandwick. I couldn’t find a Code of Practice or, indeed, any formal statement relating to ethics on Weber Shandwick’s global website. I reckon the agency should try harder.

Porter Novelli co-founder William Novelli, who no longer works for the company, has said: “You shouldn’t forget ethics just like you shouldn’t forget to get dressed in the morning”. But, in my research, I did my best to find Porter Novelli’s Code of Practice or even a neat citation where someone in today’s company talked about ethics - and failed.

Ogilvy PR. Not much talk; no discernible walk.

GCI Group. See Ogilvy PR Worldwide.

The Huntsworth Group says it is “committed to building a culture which … values accountability, transparency and disclosure.” Responding to a question on the biggest worldwide issue for PR, CEO Lord Chadlington said: “First, it is about the quality of the business skills, the ethical and moral values of the people in the business. That's a big issue that lasts all the time.” Words nearly enough to get Huntsworth toddling. But we’d like to see a Code of Practice and some walk.

THE TODDLERS

Fleishman-Hillard places behaving with propriety high on its list of corporate values. It states its commitment “to the highest ethical standards” and supports this with a hotline for the anonymous reporting of questionable or unethical behaviour, which it clearly defines. The company was shocked by the 2004 crisis in its Los Angeles office. [“Fleishman-Hillard is a firm of high ethical standards. We would never knowingly tolerate improper behaviour and we will not attempt to avoid our responsibilities in this case,” said a chastened regional president, Richard Kline]. But this saga of the best corporate intentions falling foul of individual misconduct demonstrates why companies like F-H ought to take a higher profile against dubious practices like astroturfing. Close to Walking.

THE WALKERS

Edelman Public Relations has a Code of Conduct comprehensive both in its scope and because it gets to grips with some of the key ethical issues facing the profession. There is specific condemnation of astroturfing and Edelman employees sign on to the code through an undertaking that states, inter alia, “I will act in good faith, responsibly, with due care, competence and diligence, without misrepresenting facts or allowing my independent judgment to be subordinated.” Company President, Richard Edelman said recently: “We need to agree as an industry on a serious code of conduct. This famously centrifugal industry should stop for a moment and consider the alternative, which is a continued series of ethical violations leading to lack of public trust causing us to lose our ability to practice”. Only member of the Walking Class.

Comments

[Chris Newlan]

Thanks for this terrific analysis Keith.

[SpaceyG]

Kevin: Can anyone at JWM help me with my astroturfing issue? As it stands, I have to assume a column I wrote was excerpted and placed on this PR firm-generated site by Wal-Mart's PR agency, Edleman:
http://georgia.forwalmart.com/

As this is a fake site that has no grassroots origins, as far as I can tell, I called the number given here to ask for an explaination. And for insight on who exactly is responsible for creating the site Working Families For Wal-Mart, and their sister site, Georgia Families For Wal-Mart.

http://www.forwalmart.com/contact/

As of 8/19, no one has returned my call. The contact number for Working Families For Wal-Mart is:
202-326-1826

The column originally appeared here:

http://www.georgiapoliticaldigest.com/article_2586.shtml

Thanks for any light you can shed on this possible example of astroturfing by Edleman.

Grayson Daughters
Atlanta writer/producer
grayson5@bellsouth.net

[SpaceyG]

Sorry, I don't know who "Kevin" is! I must have meant to type "Keith"... whoever he is. My comment is really for whomever wrote Time To Walk The Talk.

[Keith Jackson]

Grayson - If you believe someone at Edelman may be responsible, you should initially contact the firm at code.conduct@edelman.com and detail your concern. If Edelman does not respond, my next step would be to communicate with Steve Rubel at his Micropersuasion blog. Steve is an Edelman employee and a prominent blogger who, as a private citizen, has signed up to the anti-astroturfing campaign. Let me know how you go.

[Mike Krempasky]

Grayson, as of about 8pm last night, I *had* contacted you and offered to chat about your post. I still look forward to that talk when you're available.

[Mike Krempasky]

Gah. My mistake. Didn't catch the round-the-world time change.

[Grayson]

Yes, Mr. Krempasky did contact me by email on Sat. Aug. 19 at 7:49pm EST (USA). Being the weekend, and considering that I was supposed to be rehearsing for a stand-up comedy show tonight in Atlanta, I told him I'd get back with him sometime this week.

While it's too late to work "Astroturfing" into my routine, I do look foward to chatting further with Mr. Krempasky from Edleman about fake vs. real grassroots, pro Wal-Mart movements at some point down the road. I'll then have new material to blog with at least.

I doubt the world is ready for a comedy routine based on PR suits and their totally fake campaigns, but when it is, this is one gal who'll be ready to perform it!
Cheers,
Gracie D.

[David Phillips FCIPR]

Kieth ... a good survey and interesting.
In the UK there is a code that covers practitioners and most of the practitioners in most consultancies are signed up to it.
Astroturfing is prohibited by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations Code of Conduct. The rule is quite explicit. The ethics committee is powerful and active, will advise members and in extemis is quite prepared to take membership away from practitioners who fall foul of the code.

[Mark Rose]

Egads, standup PR comedy?! I have to stay tuned for this. Also very interested in the Edelman issue with Georgia "grassroots" org. Why is that an off-line discussion when it is an online issue? Can't we listen in?