This post on the Dear Kitty blog is either proof that big establishment PR can't survive, or proof that it is indestructible. You need to decide that for yourself.

I am not, nor ever was, a Hill & Knowlton insider. But I've known some people who were. Also, having been in the establishment PR business myself for twenty years, most of these vignettes are familiar to me. In fairness, the post is provocative and written to make a point. If I were doing PR for this PR giant, it's possible I could write a reasonable response in explanation and defense of certain assertions… but the main idea being stated here is that at least one big establishment PR firm has some ethics issues. I don't think any plausible argument can be made for the big establishment PR industry in denial of that position. Big PR firms will take on anyone, anything if the price is right, even if the issue is wrong.

See, it would be one thing if PR firms stepped in and told management to cut it out, change the behavior, alter the course. Instead it seems to me they rush to the scene with perfume bottles at the ready. Their chief aim: make a stinky situation less rancid smelling. The client relationships detailed in this post on Dear Kitty are not about organizations seeking advice on how to improve their moral standing. They are about organizations that want to continue doing what they've always done, bu with less public focus, outcry, and much less visibility.

If you believe just half of what's being said these days about transparency, you have to believe that while these establishment firms won't voluntarily change their ways, the way the world works around them may change so much that their services are no longer considered acceptable. It's your call.

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