Public Relations..."ah i see"

With over 50% of coverage in Newspapers and Magazines now sourcing from Public Relations, I'm surprised so many people are still turning their noses up at the industry and for why? And that is just the people who fully understand the defination of what Public Relations actually is, or does. I have probably had 90% of the people who ask me what I'm doing my degree respond with an "ah I see..." and generally not not know what I'm talking about.

Why does no-one other than those within the profession truly appreciate or understand something that they all consume on a daily basis. Or is it naive to think that anyone would care if it isn't directly affecting their lives? Even though without realising it PR affects ALL of our lives, but because its done so quietly we are just not aware of it.

Without the industry our daily News would be fairly empty and damn right dull for that matter. But still there remains to be more critism than praise. I have had numerous people ask me the theory behind PR, and turn their noses up when i explain the career path I'm choosing or simply air their judgemental views strongly in belief that "its all spin and no truth", even though their are millions of case studies that would differ entirely. All of which have been achieved through trustworthy and honest mediums.

But I hope these doubts are changing and hopefully those that dont currently understand the industry will become further educated over the forthcoming years as most of the world begin to take part in Social Media. It has openly been acknowledged and debated the impact this tool is having on PR as a whole and how it is allowing the "Public" to get involved within campaigns much easier and enabling PR companies to communicate and give the "Public" back what they want. Effectively putting the "Public" back into "Public" Relations.

One of the biggest advantages of  PR via Social Media is its a great way to sell the positives of the industry directly to your Target Audience and effectively cut out the middle man. It helps keep the Target Market up to speed on what case study you may be working on and allows them to provide their thoughts or feedback. One of PR's biggest critics; Journalists, can also be contacted more freely. You are able to see what your potential Journalists interests and personality may be and use this to your advantage as when approaching them you can use the correct tone of voice that will appeal or catch their attention. Hopefully getting a much quicker response.

I really do hope that over the coming years the Public Relations industry continues to build its well deserved credibility and allows Social Media to enhance its chances of this.
Any critics of the industry should accept that everyone of us working in the Media, especially within a tabloid paper or celeb magazine is going to have to use "spin" at some point, otherwise we could see alot more papers going out of business. I'm obviously not condoning full blown lies but sensationalizing a story is part of attracting your Target Market and effectively the way to make sales. 

People need to give the industry a fair chance and not generalise the industry as a whole with this uneducated outlook as it simply isnt a fair overview and doesn't allow people to appreciate the good that can come to an organisation or individual from such a useful tool.