The role of PR has ‘barely changed’

Even in the age of social media. Those are the words of Forbes contributor Haydn Shaughnessy. Sounds like fightin’ words.

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Those are the words of Haydn Shaughnessy in Forbes magazine—and for many, they’re fighting words. Here’s the gist of what he says:

“At its core PR practice has barely changed in the era of social. At its core!

“It is still the job of a PR person to find a writer who will interview a client or write about the client or product, and to control that process as much as possible by, for example, sitting in on interviews, seeking out writers who will be favorable, offering exclusives, and attempting to frame the story for the writer. End of story.

“Some PR companies have gone as far as creating leverage for themselves in social channels but even so they seek the legitimation that comes with mainstream publishing. That simply has not changed.”

Shaughnessy’s column is a response to the Public Relations Society of America unveiling of the final three definitions of public relations, of which one will become the definition:

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