by John C. Stauber

Fifteen thousand PR practioners belong to the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and pledge to abide by its seventeen-point "Code of Professional Standards." The code states that a PRSA member "will only conduct his or her professional life in accord with the public interest."

Does anyone really believe that pushing tobacco products is "in accord with the public interest"? If the PRSA code were taken seriously, how could scores of PRSA members justify their continued work for cigarette companies? Yet a quick survey of PR firms by PR Watch could only find nine firms that refuse to represent tobacco interests.

"Corporate social responsibility" is a trendy phrase sweeping the business world. Business for Social Responsibility, a nation-wide association formed in 1992, has seen its membership swell in two short years to more than 800 firms. Some, such as Calvert Investment and Ben & Jerry's, have pioneered higher standards of corporate citizenship. Other BSR members, such as Time Warner, are understandably suspect. Are they sincere, or just using claims of "social responsibility" as a new PR tactic akin to "greenwashing"?

Companies that claim a higher standard of social responsibility should of course be challenged to prove it by their business practices. One measure of commitment should be an examination of which PR firms a business hires. It would seem quite hypocritical for a member of Business for Social Responsibility to be represented by, for example, an ethical untouchable like Burson-Marsteller.

Socially responsible firms now seeking like-minded PR representation have to look long and hard. While many PR companies push the concept of "social responsibility" for their clients, few seem to take it seriously for their own industry.