The reputation of PR is set to get a well-deserved boost with the news that industry body CIPR is putting the finishing touches to its Chartered Practitioner Scheme, which will give successful applicants the same professional recognition as lawyers and accountants.
The Chartered Institute of Public Relations confirmed it had received 60 applications from its 10,000-strong membership and is due to finalise its selection criteria by October.
The trade body took a giant step in advancing the professional status of the industry four years ago when it was granted its Royal Charter, but it was only recently that the Privy Council finally approved the new chartered designation for individual members.
Practitioners across the industry have welcomed the new title, which should finally see them distance themselves from the more devil-may-care image of the role of publicists, such as Max Clifford.
Few in the field of PR would dispute that the often-glamorous work of publicists is a legitimate related activity, but public relations needs to distinguish itself as a discipline that enables a business to foster relationships with all its stakeholders.
The chartered designation will open new doors to an industry by dispelling some of the myths of PR and improving a reputation tarnished by journalists who continue to regard the work of public relations with some degree of suspicion.
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