PRSA: Accreditation, Advocacy, and the People Behind It

Whether you are talking about Coca-Cola’s new campaign or Pantene’s hair donation campaign you are talking about a Communications Effort. More so now, on year of elections one word keeps showing up…communication. That’s only because branding (of products, companies, politician’s, ideals or individuals) has so much to do with public perception and reputation, and you only get this if people in fact are talking about your brand. Oddly enough the people that work behind a brand to drive a positive perception of it, have a bad reputation themselves. I’m talking about Public Relations practitioners and how public perception is not the best around the profession, but efforts are being made to change this. One of the changes, that both benefit the PR brand and also sets a standard of practice, is the Accreditation in Public Relations (APR).

The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) recognizes and fosters the Accreditation Program as a means to bring positive light to the profession. It is stated in their website that, “through their high professional and ethical standards, Accredited professionals contribute to greater understanding of public relations as a vital management function, and undermine those who would refer to our craft as spin, our professionals as flacks, and our currency as misrepresentation and disinformation.”

The Accreditation Program was established on 1964 and since then it has been the only national post-graduate certification program. It promotes continuing education and reflects a commitment to the profession. If you are a PR professional you want to learn what the industry has to offer and what successful peers have done.  Two of the most notable APR’s are Harold Burson and Daniel J. Edelman, leaders of two of the biggest PR Firms in the world. Even though the APR is voluntary and you can still work without it, I think it’s the best way to advance in such a competitive career. It sets you apart from the pack and it provides a means to continue educating yourself. This last one is crucial in an industry that revolves around people and communications, which are ever changing and so should the education.

APR is a big step towards changing public perception of the profession that so well does it itself.  It betters the practice and strives to achieve excellence within the industry.

“Accreditation assures that a certain standard of quality is met. In a profession where licensure is not required and many people practice public relations without knowing key competencies and appropriate ethical guidelines for decision-making, earning the APR credential communicates that you have the requisite knowledge for principled public relations expertise and proficiency. This mark of excellence demonstrates to employers that you truly know what it means to be a high-performing, effective and ethical public relations professional.”

—Holly Byars, APR



Source: www.prsa.org