Last week the US member of ICCO, the Council of PR Firms (CPRF), called on its member agencies to join a growing movement of communications advisors to do right by Wikipedia and their clients with a commitment to transparency, accuracy and disclosure in this blog post.

 

That this is the right thing to do should be self-evident, and a number of agency networks (including my employer) and other professional associations have also signed on to the pledge – fittingly set forth as an article on Wikipedia, rather than as a press release.

 

It also has the advantage of being a smart thing to do, and I hope all ICCO member associations will make a similar commitment. Here’s why:

 

1. PR consultants need to be part of the discussion on Wikipedia.  Agreeing to respect its principles and rules give us access to an immensely important communications platform.
2. Cynicism is the enemy of good PR.   As the authors of the CPRF blogs say so well, helping to bridge the gap between communications advisors and the Wikipedia community serves a higher purpose: establishing trust.  This is the heart of what we do.
3. Leaders lead.  ICCO associations work to advance the ethical practice of PR consultancy worldwide, offering the market a clear choice between agencies that choose to comply with their standards of conduct and professionalism, and those who do not.  This is an opportunity for our associations to demonstrate real leadership.

 

Thanks CPRF for the early adoption – let’s hope others follow your lead.

 

As a Senior Partner and CEO of Ketchum’s European operations and chairman of the UK agency, David Gallagher brings more than 20 years of public relations experience, both as a client and as a senior agency adviser, to some of the world’s leading brands and companies.