Just back from a few days research in Stockholm, talking to practitioners about their conceptions of public relations and the assumptions that underpin ethical decisions. Much of my visit was arranged by Margaretha Sjöberg and her colleagues at the Sveriges Informationsförening (the Swedish Public Relations Association) who arranged for me to meet a number of fascinating and helpful people working in a range of PR and comms roles.
The sharp-eyed will have noticed that Sveriges Informationsförening doesn't translate exactly as Swedish Public Relations Association; the general feeling seems to be that whilst it is OK to tell foreigners that they work in PR, practitioners would prefer to be seen by fellow Swedes as working in information or communication.
This is perhaps not so surprising in a country where PR and advertising generate the lowest level of public trust of any professions... Needless to say this is not because Swedish PR is particularly unscrupulous, but rather more to do with the challenge of shaping persuasive nmessages in a country which puts a strong emphasis on openness and transparency.
More of this later...
Comments