PR bloggers should give Edelman a break

Where once PR mistakes were the subject of industry gossip or maybe the back page of PR Week, now they are global and open to scrutiny by everyone. So yes, we do all make mistakes, but the bigger we are and the more we set ourselves up as vanguards of a new PR, the more our reputation will take a thrashing when we get it wrong. The damage to the reputation of PR and the potential lack of confidence of others to engage in online initiatives, must be overcome by seeing this as an opportunity to learn from Edelman's mistakes and ensure PR online is genuinely open and credible.

Good that you jump to Edelman's defence, Stuart. I mostly felt embarrassed for them becuase of the continuing silence amid the ever-increasing critical comments. Most that I've paid attention to have been critical about the ongoing silence more than the issue in point, ie, the faux blog and lack of disclosure.

So now they're owning up to a mistake. Better late than never, but I expected a far more dynamic example of engagement leadership and much sooner.

"Why can't we praise Edelman for being at the forefront of how the PR profession is changing, and praise it for not being afraid to take risks and occasionally make mistakes?"

How ‘bout because they’re shysters whose duplicitous foray into the blogosphere is giving the PR industry a bad name (if that’s even possible).

- Amanda

Stuart,

What do you think about the fact that Edelman and its well known bloggers have stayed silent since this has all blown up?

Do you think they should engage?

Best wishes,

Justin

Stuart, to lump all professional mistakes together as simply 'lessons to be learnt' is a bit ridiculous, isn't it? Did Ken Lay at Enron 'goof'? What about Patricia Dunn at HP? Should we all just 'get over it'?

When Edelman - the noisiest proponent of PR in social media - is doing PR for Wal-Mart - one of the planet's most scrutinised corporations - it can't afford to make this sort of (absolutely fundamental) mistake, can it? Or maybe it just doesn't 'get' social media as much as it thinks it does?

When a politician who's preached family values all his career gets caught with his trousers round his ankles and a rent boy nearby, nobody can really complain when he's kicked out of office, right?