…Public Relations Should Be For Public Interest
Dan Rather urged PR professionals to recommit to working on behalf of the public’s best interest.
When public relations operates at its best, it is helping more than a client or corporation — it is helping the general public, said Rather, the keynote speaker during the PRSA New York Chapter’s 25th annual Big Apple Awards last night.
Some PR practitioners and journalists persist in believing that there is a natural and everlasting adversarial relationship between their two professions, said Rather, former anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News from 1981-2005, and current host of HDNet’s “Dan Rather Reports.”
“Not true,” said Rather, author of his new memoir, “Rather Outspoken.”
While journalists and PR practitioners may have different employers, both professions — at their best — serve the public, he said.
“This country needs you and your work right now, your best work,” Rather said. “It is through communication and clear understanding that we can, we will, restore a sense of responsibility and public trust.” — Daniel Benson
