Flacks Cannot Say They're "Reporting" Anymore, says the Public Relations Society of America

A statement today by the Public Relations Society of America says that Video News Releases should no longer use sign offs like the one that got Karen Ryan into hot water, "In Washington, I'm Karen Ryan Reporting." The PRSA now agrees that the practice, though common, can be confusing or misleading.
Shame on me for practicing my profession and engaging in a standard, acceptable practice, namely, narrating a VNR. I did nothing wrong. Nothing. --Karen Ryan, March 29.

Nothing, huh? In the aftermath of the Karen Ryan fiasco (background is here) the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) has taken a clear stand against the practice that got her into trouble last month: pretending to be a reporter in a video news release.

"In Washington, I'm Karen Ryan reporting" was the phrase she spoke in a Video News Release (VNR) prepared for the US Department of Health and Human Services. Now that sort of tactic has been officially condemned by the major professional group in PR. Here's the key passage in the PRSA's statement, released to PressThink today.

Artículo completo en PressThink