Saturday, June 25, 2016

Public relations and lobbying: an overlooked career opportunity for PR graduates



What’s the difference between lobbying and PR?

First, let’s define lobbying: It’s the act of trying to promote an organization’s agenda to the people making the decisions, which are usually representatives or associates within the government, to produce an influence on a specific reform. This term seems to be almost always applied toward politics and public policymaking, but if it is used in corporate business settings, then it is called government relations.

Any single person who tries to change or manipulate a public policy can be considered a lobbyists, but that term is usually applied to individuals employed solely to influence government officials. These professionals are usually referred to as advocacy or public affairs professionals, but it’s still public relations.

So, what’s the big difference between lobbyists and public relations? Public relations professionals do not have to disclose their activities to the public, lobbyists on the other hand have to make it public knowledge.

Who employs lobbyists?

The largest employers of lobbyist professionals are:

1.      Special interest groups
2.      Trade associations
3.      Corporations
4.      Unions
5.      Government relations firms
6.      Public relations firms

A large majority of lobbyist professionals are employed by public relations firms, but the practice of lobbying was not discussed in my public relations curriculum. Is this because it was just overlooked, or is it PR’s dirty, little secret? Maybe the terminology is the real issue; PR professionals tend to distance themselves from the word “manipulate” and focus more on the concept of persuasion.

Personally, I don’t see what there is to be ashamed of; lobbyists work for highly respected and regulated fields such as health care, the communication industry and natural resource development.

The two forms of lobbying

Lobbying can be further broken down into two different sub-categories:

1.      Direct lobbying—the organization’s lobbyists contact the government official or decision maker directly.
2.      Indirect lobbying—the organization and the lobbyists use communication resources, often the mass media, to shape, encourage, or enlist public opinion in order for the public to influence the government’s priorities or policies.

So lobbyists utilize mass media to shape public opinion and influence policymakers? That sounds a lot like agenda setting theory to me, and this is a concept that PR professionals are very familiar with.

Why have PR scholars ignored lobbying?

Lobbying is an important career in communication and government that uses many aspects of public relations. Lobbying can have a huge impact upon an organizations reputation, but many public relations scholars ignore its importance.

It might have something to do with the lobbying’s past ethical dilemmas. In 2006, Jack Abramoff, plead guilty to fraud and conspiracy to bribe public officials. He was also a former lobbyist, and his actions were highlighted extensively by the media in the U.S. 

Unfortunately, Abramoff’s case inspired media outlets like the New York Times to conduct public opinion polls on the matter. More than half of the people polled believed the job of a lobbyist is to bribe members of congress, provide organizations unfair advantages and buy government influence.

Why should PR graduates consider lobbying as a potential career?

I believe that public relations professionals and new graduates should consider lobbying as a future career opportunity because they have the necessary skills for the job.

We do not use propaganda, but instead influence the public opinion. We do not believe in manipulation, but instead practice the art of persuasion. We do not “spin” facts but instead try to get worthy clients some public attention. We practice relations with the public, and it’s as simple as that.

We learn the Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA) Code of Ethics at the very start of the public relations academic program, and every student must adhere to ethical values such as honesty, loyalty, transparency, fairness and integrity. We must be an advocate for our client, company, or product when communicating with the public.

Lobbyists are advocates too, but they just represent a certain side of an issue. Lobbying has an ethical standard that involves fairness, transparency and working towards the common good. Lobbying professionals must adhere to these ethical standards while working with policymakers, and the job provides the opportunity to influence political agendas.

We’re not that different from one another.  


No comments:

Post a Comment