He said transparency, authenticity, flexibility, creativity and ethical conduct were paramount in building and maintaining credibility.

“The role of PR professionals is not just about constructing messages or managing crisis.

It is about embracing responsibility, accountability and integrity in everything we do,” the VC added.

Prof. Kwansah-Aidoo was speaking at the second edition of UniMAC - Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) practitioners’ conference in Accra yesterday.

The event provided a platform for industry players and academics to come together to discuss the nexus between theory and practice.

Other topics were the interconnection between academic research in the field of PR and how it can inform best practices, particularly in the country.

Participants included academics, staff and students of GIJ.

It formed part of activities to commemorate the World Public Relations Day to be observed on July 16, 2023, on the theme: “Harnessing the power of PR”.

The day is set aside to recognise the importance of PR in building a unified global agenda towards making the world understand and utilise the profession better.

Relevance

Prof. Kwansah-Aidoo further said that PR practitioners were at the core of communication activities that ultimately shaped the understanding, perception and influence of the public.

He, therefore, urged practitioners to uphold professional ethics and standards by ensuring that truth, fairness and accuracy become the bedrock upon which they practise their trade.

“PR practitioners have harnessed the power of communication to challenge the status quo, break down barriers and foster understanding in a world that is often engulfed in acrimoniously divisive shenanigans,” the VC added. 

Changing nature of PR

The Chief Executive Officer of Stratcomm Africa, Esther Cobbah, said the evolving nature of PR practice in the country had made practitioners to lay more emphasis on digital than other communication channels.

She, however, said that theories of public relations, including strategy, planning, analysis and content development still applied.

“It is now time for PR practitioners to let citizens know the value they bring to the digital space.

Just like with traditional media, individuals and organisations are getting themselves into unnecessary digital media crisis situations and falling on public relations to clean up for them,” Ms Cobbah said.

She said that it was imperative for practitioners to proactively manage the perception of being a whitewashing profession such as “Go mess up, call a PR person to clean it up”.

State of PR

The Head of Department of PR at UniMAC-GIJ, Dr Albert Anani Bossman, said the state of the profession in terms of how it was being practised as opposed to how it was expected to be practised was based on research.

“The PR field is a mine field.

There is a lot to learn and a lot to know, but that can only be done through research,” he said.

Dr Bossman acknowledged that although the profession was growing at a slow pace, through effective research “theory informs practice and vice versa”.