Can the professionalisation of the UK public relations industry make it more trustworthy?

The UK’s Institute for Public Relations (IPR) is applying for Royal Chartered status, giving legitimacy to the professional standing and practice of public relations. One of the key motivators in seeking registration was to demonstrate that its members are “not just working for (our) own interests, but the interests of the public good”. Improving professional education in PR and the image of public relations practice were also two recommendations made in a joint UK IPR/Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) report in 2003. Given the cynicism of the public, however, the overall objective of achieving trust may be more challenging, as UK practitioners wonder if professional guidelines on ethics and trust are a step too far in their field: indeed, comparable professional institutes do not have this focus in their terms of reference. This paper makes a series of practical recommendations in support of trust and transparency in the UK and examines the wider issues affecting the PR practitioner’s operating environment. For instance, the role of business regulation, CEO education, industry models and the perception of PR as publicity.