"Astro-turfing" - Hill and Knowlton's View - Trevor Cook - Trevor Cook writes that he's still not sure what Hill and Knowlton's position is and points to some concerns raised by Niall Cook's post.
Courage is Commendable - Paull Young - Young appeals to the courage of the big PR firms to encourage them to support the campaign.
Ethics: kick me please - Philip Young - Young looks at the Jackson Wells Morris code of ethics in response to Jackson's "Time to walk the talk" series.
Time to walk the talk 12.0 - Keith Jackson - Jackson sums up his analysis of the worlds leading PR agencies stance on astroturfing and ethics. He splits the agencies in to three groups - tots, toddlers and walkers. "These firms never get as far as even talking the talk of ethical practice. Find it hard to talk. They’re the Tots. Then there are companies that talk the talk but find some difficulty walking it. Find it hard to walk. They’re the Toddlers. And, finally, agencies that have comprehensive Codes of Practice, compliance mechanisms and 24/7 complaints arrangements for the disgruntled. Skin in the ethical game. The Walkers."
Tots: Hill and Knowlton, Ketchum, Burson-Marsteller, Weber Shandwick, Porter Novelli, Ogilvy PR, CGI Group, The Huntsworth Group.
Toddlers: Fleishman-Hillard.
Walkers: Edelman Public Relations.
Time to walk the talk 11.0 - Keith Jackson - on Oglivy Public Relations Worldwide "that’s just about where it starts and finishes for Ogilvy PR. Not much talk; no discernible walk."
For Immediate Release #163 - Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson - Discussion from 41.00. Shel and Neville track the progress of the anti-astroturfing campaign and call on the big PR agencies and PR associations to support it. They also put out a request for their listeners to submit audio comments about PR ethics with the view of a future podcast dedicated to the topic.
Time to walk the talk 10.0 - Keith Jackson - on CGI Group "Seems to me like this is the perfect time for Jeff Hunt of the GCI Group, which has not published a Code of Practice so far as I’ve been able to find, to come out with a condemnation of astroturfing. So no intern will again be tempted to similarly let fly."
Time to walk the talk 9.0 - Keith Jackson - on Porter Novelli "To the outsider, William Novelli, now CEO of the non-profit American Association of Retired Persons, seems to combine a pragmatic approach to life while maintaining a compassionate view of society and a keen sense of ethical responsibility. It would be neat if the company that continues to bear his name picked up on this campaign to stamp out the distinctly unethical practice of astroturfing."
Time to walk the talk 8.0 - Keith Jackson - on Ketchum Inc "My search of the Ketchum website for a Code of Practice of some kind was unsuccessful, so I can’t be sure how it educates employees in the art of ethical behaviour. But given Ray Kotcher’s professed values, it’d sure be good to see Ketchum sign up to the anti-astroturfing campaign."
Time to walk the talk 7.0 - Keith Jackson - on Edelman Public Relations Worldwide "It could be argued that the Edelman code of conduct is the most comprehensive of any of the major global PR organisations both in its scope and because it gets to grips with some of the key ethical issues facing the profession...clearly Edelman has moved to take a forward position where it is willing to engage on these issues and I’d be a real mug to cavil at that."
Time to walk the talk 6.0 - Keith Jackson - on Burson Marsteller "Given its historical dabbling in astroturfing and these more recent fine words about integrity, it seems time Burson-Marsteller moved beyond talking the talk. It’s time it came out explicitly against astroturfing and walked the talk at stress test pace."
Time to walk the talk 5.0 - Keith Jackson - on The Huntsworth Group "While Europe and the UK have not experienced the excesses of astroturfing seen in the US, we hope Lord Chadlington might see fit to step forward and support the anti-astroturfing campaign."
Time to walk the talk 4.0 - Keith Jackson - on Hill and Knowlton "If ever there was a company that should be prepared to walk the talk of anti-astroturfing, it should be Hill and Knowlton – both to honour the legacy of John Hill and to expunge that 1991 lapse and denial of his values."
Astroturfing: Time to walk the talk - Neville Hobson - Hobson echoes Jackson's calls to action and asks "I’d like to see our professional associations also getting openly involved with this. IABC, CIPR, PRSA, for example. Why wouldn’t they?"
Time to walk the talk 3.0 - Keith Jackson - on Fleishman-Hillard "We urge Fleishman-Hillard to lend its clear ethical awareness, and its considerable weight as a leading PR agency, to the anti-astroturfing campaign."
Time to walk the talk 2.0 - Keith Jackson - on Weber Shandwick "I reckon Weber Shandwick should try harder and sign up to the Anti-Astroturfing Campaign. Or explain why opposing phony grass roots organisations is not such a good idea."
CIPR to Adopt Social Media - David Phillips - Phillips points to CIPR Director General Colin Farrington highlighting astroturfing
Time to walk the talk 1.0 - Keith Jackson - The first in a series from Keith "to elicit a response - a commitment to act - against the distinctly unethical practice of astroturfing. To elicit a commitment from the globe’s leading PRs?"
Deep thinkers or deeply embarrassed? - Keith Jackson - Jackson borrows a line from a WWII veteran to ask where the major PR agencies stand on astroturfing
Astroturfing sucks - Paul Holmes - "It’s interesting to note that while 25 leading PR bloggers have signed on to support the campaign, very few of the leading agencies have done so. Do they not know about it? Or is astroturfing too valuable to give up, even though they know it's wrong?"
Where are the Big Guys? - Keith Jackson - Jackson asks if some of the big PR agencies will support the campaign
