As part of the observance of World Public Relations Day (WPRD), professionals from various nations convened in a webinar focused on the theme “Harnessing the Power of PR.” The event served as a platform for PR practitioners to discuss strategies for effectively managing public perception in the digital age, particularly in combating the proliferation of misleading information on social media. With the growing influence of these platforms, experts stress the importance of establishing measures to safeguard the integrity of public discourse and protect the public from the adverse effects of misinformation.
Conducted by C.J. Singh, Adj. Professor of communication at Shoolini University, senior vice president of PRCI and global convenor for WPRD, informed that leading PR thought leaders and professional PR bodies the world over are observing the day to help the world understand and utilize PR better.
Prof. Mathew Hibberd from Switzerland, Ayeni Adekunle from Scotland, PRCI Chairman Emeritus of PRCI M.B. Jayaram from Bengaluru, PRCI National President Geetha Shankar, Vivek Atray ex-IAS and TEDx speaker, Dr T.Vinaykumar, Renuka Salwan, spoke on the theme of ‘Harnessing the Power of Public Relations’.
Empowering the Youth
Prof Hibberd, Deputy Head of Department, Film, Media and Journalism, University of Stirling averred the need for more regulation on social media to contain the misinformation and dis-information being spread around the world on issues of larger human interests and corrupting the minds of the young people. He said that the youth needs to be well informed and educated right from school to learn to discriminate and understand the impact of climate change that is playing havoc around the globe because of human follies.
Effective communication alone can bring about positive changes in the minds of the people, he said.
Being Digitally Responsible
Vivek Atray said that organizations need to rise above mere profiteering and pushing the products to the people and instead imbibe the values of empathy and genuine care and concern for other human beings which would automatically make corporations successful. No organisation, he reiterated, can succeed by simply using AI and digital technology in the absence of human touch.
Ayeni from Scotland said that every organization needs to harness the power of effective public relations to impact the lives of people around the globe, for which purpose the WPRD has been launched, which in its third year is already bringing together practitioners from around the globe.
M.B. Jayaram said that every organization including government and public sector, must appoint a professional public relations practitioner to effectively communicate with their target groups.
Adapt to Change
Earlier, Vice President North of PRCI Renuka Salwan while welcoming the participants, said that the WPRD 2023 theme is apt as PR is becoming a powerful strategic tool with new challenges opening up because of the increasingly interconnected world. She added that to harness the real power of PR, the professionals need to ‘Adapt to Change and Evolve to Grow’.
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