what pr is NOT.

Since I'm getting this blog rebooted, we should start with one basic rule:
What Public Relations is NOT

Too often, people think PR is simply media relations, or just news releases, or press conferences, etc. While those are elements of public relations, they don't even begin to scratch the surface. Before we further define public relations, how about a primer on what it isn't.

Public relations, first and foremost, is not "spin."
Not in my book, at least. Spin is a pejorative that implies dishonesty or misdirection from the issue at hand. Wrong.

Public relations is not hiding the facts.
If anything, good, ethical PR is exactly the opposite. And there are more ethical PR practitioners out there than people want to admit.

Bottom line: Public relations is controlling the flow of information and communication between an organization and its respective audiences (or publics). It is talking as well as listening.

That's a simple definition, and definitely not spin.

More to come.