Ethics Talk And Ethics Walk [1]
Submitted by Bob Burton [2] on
The anti-astroturfing campaign [3] has drawn a response from the Public Relations Institute of Australia [4] (PRIA). The National President of PRIA, Annabelle Warren, wrote in a statement that the organisation "strongly opposes astro-turfing [5] practices" and that members must "adhere to the highest standards of ethical practice." If that is the case why did PRIA's College of Fellows recently reject [6] a complaint by Australian Greens Senator Christine Milne over the front group [7], Tasmanians for a Better Future [8]? Warren said she couldn't comment on the case as the PRIA Board was presented only with a recommendation but not the rationale for the College of Fellows assessment. Senator Milne was unavailable for comment. Keith Jackson [9], from the Sydney PR firm Jackson Wells Morris [10] notes [11] that there has been no response to the anti-astounding campaign by the PR industry "Big Guys" including Burson-Marsteller [12], Edelman [13], Weber Shandwick [14] and Porter Novelli [15]. "They say ethics. We see denial," he concludes.