Part Three: The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?

Truth. Veracity. As we discussed in ‘part two’ of this blog series – this is the first pillar within the ‘codes of PR ethics’. The idea of honesty in theory is straightforward, however as we have seen from previous examples, this is not always the case.

But would it be an ideal situation to always tell the truth? Released in 2009, ‘The Invention of Lying’ is a film based on an alternate reality where lying doesn’t exist. It ultimately shows the blunt, cruel nature of the truth; alongside the ‘good’ the protagonist can do when he begins to implement the idea of lying. Although this film shows a clear-cut divide between telling the truth and lying, in reality this is a somewhat grey area.

The reality is that everyone spins the truth in some way, shape or form. This may not happen all the time but it certainly exists. “No! You look great! No one will ever notice,” you gush to your friend as she applies the tenth layer of concealer to the spot you’ve fondly (but secretly) named ‘Mount Vesuvius’. Sounds familiar? Have you never wanted to avoid hurting someone’s feelings? What about the time you made a non-committal statement? It may not be a lie, but this is certainly short of being honest.

Ultimately, PR exists to Photoshop out the ghastly mountain on your friend’s chin, not to completely alter her facial features. In academic terms, true PR representatives will paint a prettier picture of the truth to protect an individual or their publics, but will not outright lie. In contrast, Propaganda looks to spread false information to the masses. However, thanks to the Internet and all it entails, information on a global scale can be absorbed left, right and centre, giving individuals the opportunity to educate themselves, and allowing them to distinguish between what is Propaganda and what is public relations.

Propaganda and persuasion both seek to change opinion and attitudes but the difference lies within their motives. Re-visiting my previous example, I may use persuasive techniques to encourage my friend to leave the house and go for a coffee with me (mutual benefit) though I am sure there are many that would persuade for their own personal gain (personal benefit).

It’s all about knowing your audience. As individuals we assess who to trust, and from that our belief is that the words they speak are true – a fact in life as well as in PR. As mentioned in previous blog posts, the Internet has given publics an unlimited source of knowledge on a global scale. Where this word ‘global’ has its benefits, it also has its downfalls. As you have likely experienced, a friendly gesture in one culture may mean something entirely different in another – this concept can also apply to PR.  

Harold Lasswell suggested the following model in order to describe the mass-communication process

In a nutshell, Lasswell’s model (1948) demonstrated the message flow in a multicultural society with multiple audiences. Although this linear model is fairly simplistic, it does not highlight the idea of ‘noise’ or ‘feedback’ within the communication process. Bruce Tyson suggests this is because Lasswell’s model ultimately stems from the motivation to control and force obedience (propaganda), thus discarding the idea of feedback. Although Tyson makes an interesting point, and though it is fair to say that this model may use the idea of ‘targeted persuasion’, it is also a clear guideline to sending a message in the right way to an audience on a mass scale.

But we practitioners face the same dilemma. To speak the truth we must believe in what we are presenting, becoming advocates of our client’s cause. Without the aid of a crystal ball it is difficult to know if a client really is telling the truth and therefore we must trust our instincts, values and education to lead us down the right path.

Ultimately it’s trust and truth which separates the two. If you are ‘spinning’ a fact we can easily say this is PR but if not, you are actively taking part in propaganda. However this idealism of ‘truth’ is easily written but not preached.

With truth stems trust, and thus we delve further into this idea of ‘PR vs. Propaganda’.

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Rhi [@Rhiannon_Lucy91]