Every day individuals are faced with challenges that make them ask, “What is the right thing to do?”
A book titled “Do the Right Thing” by James Hoggan is about choosing the best option for your client or business although it may be difficult or uncomfortable.
One reason Hoggan wrote “Do the Right Thing,” was to address the issue of people believing public relations professionals were dishonest because of the climate science misinformation they were receiving.
The message in the title of the book may seem simple and easy to do at first, but unfortunately for many people, doing the right thing is the hardest task.
Some people are unsure of what doing the right thing actually means. According to Hoggan, we know we are doing the right thing when we are working sincerely toward a public good (p.33).
I admire this book because it demonstrates honesty as the best policy. As a public relations student, I would love to pursue a career that many people respect and view as credible. Credibility is everything in journalism. The public would not read or watch the news if they didn’t believe the information was real.
Public relations professionals work for their clients or companies, but they also have a duty to be loyal to their publics. Although the client’s needs are important, the client or company would not be able to survive without its publics.
Counseling organization leaders is a task public relations professionals must do to protect the company’s public. Some clients may have a disconnect from their publics and seek aid from public relations specialists to fill the gap.
Becoming a public relations practitioner is not easy. Some tasks such as public speaking, writing and research are all essential, but being honest and acknowledging faults are great traits to have in this field. In crisis management situations these traits are especially significant.
No one is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes, but learning from your mistakes and doing the right thing makes a difference.
Kwamae,
ReplyDeleteI really love this book as well. It's hard focusing toward going into a career that you love but the majority does not respect. I remember when I told my grandfather that I was switching from a Biology/Pre-Med major to Journalism; he basically told me that I've taken away his reason for living. Some people just don't understand that Public Relations is much more than what they think. I've worked with several PR and Marketing officials who were honest and hard working people. Also with my past internships I've found that a lot of T.V. shows and magazines that are very popular wouldn't function without their PR professionals. This book tells people how to do PR the right way and hopefully, with this book being read in schools future PR Professionals will have a better name.
-Shari Baron