Anyone who has talked to me about what I do for a living knows how I struggle to define my profession. One of the main reasons is communications can be quite intangible. People want to know what I produce. I can see the look in their eyes if I happen to mention some of the implementation I have done. Oh! You wrote content for a website, so you are a writer! Um… well yes, but no not really. Or I will say I did project management for a company’s annual report. Oh! So you are a project manager! Well…. sometimes. But none of these roles explain my profession.
Unfortunately, I often have to resort to telling them they might better understand what I do if they think PR. Oh! Why didn’t you say you’re a publicist. Sigh. And then, inevitably, the word spin comes up.
Just what is spin? Wikipedia suggests it is a pejorative term signifying a heavily biased portrayal in one’s own favor of an event or situation. Hmmmm…. doesn’t that mean everyone uses spin? I mean, really, who portrays events or situations in a way that isn’t in our favour?
• I was speeding officer? My speedometer must be out, I NEVER speed! This is so embarrassing!
Vs. yes officer, I was speeding. I thought I could get away with it and just assumed
you were at the local doughnut shop.
• I’m so sorry boss, my kid has had the flu all week and although I came in early, I just wasn’t able to
make up the lost time vs. sorry boss, I didn’t get project done on time because I was feeling lazy
and sluggish yesterday and didn’t manage my time well.
An alternative definition is: Spin is the act of knowingly ignoring aspects of a story or telling outright lies in an attempt to cover up the negative. I’m more comfortable with this definition.
An ethical, professional and quality PR professional would never counsel their client to lie or ignore a potential crisis situation. They will counsel disclosure, honesty and ethical behaviour. To do otherwise is bad business. Just ask Bill “I did not have sexual relations with that woman” Clinton or Gary “go ahead and follow me” Hart
Sometimes, that may mean taking a hard line with a client. As Gini Dietrich, in her blog The Fight Against Destructive Spin explains, “public relations practitioners should be firm with clients… even if it means conflict or uncomfortable situations.”
Good PR isn’t about ignoring the negative or lying about it. I think Betsey Rogers said it best when she said:
What good PR really does is find the great stories, information, perspective and achievements within a company that are already there but haven’t been told/communicated yet – as often clients have difficulty seeing these being close to their own company, products … If there happens to be negative information that is relevant for customers and public audiences to know about, good PR people advocate and practice being proactive in communicating this information to the public.
If lies are involved or if you are afraid of the skeletons in the closet, the line has probably been crossed. If your audience found out all the facts – and they will – would they feel they had been duped? Then the line has probably been crossed.