ICABS letter in Irish Post
06 July 2011

Thanks to The Irish Post - the highest selling weekly newspaper for the Irish in Britain - for printing our letter about the PR Institute's shortlisting of a cruelty campaign. You can read the letter below.

Bloodsports award a mistake
The Irish Post, July 9th, 2011

The bodies representing public relations in Ireland should perhaps consider hiring a PR guru.

In the space of a few weeks, they have managed to spectacularly tarnish their images and infuriate a large portion of the public.

The shortlisting of a pro-bloodsports campaign for a PR Excellence Award saw the Public Relations Institute of Ireland and the Public Relations Consultants Association disregarding overwhelming public opposition to deplorable activities such as hunting and coursing.

The RISE campaign mysteriously made it on to their awards shortlist despite being repeatedly criticised for spreading misinformation and showing disrespect towards public officials — both contrary to PR codes of conduct.

Condemned as malicious and despicable, the behaviour of RISE supporters included throwing eggs at a State car, jeering politicians, telling a Minister to go to hell and sticking threatening leaflets on vehicles outside a church.

Claims made during the RISE campaign were variously described as “nonsense”, “wrong” and “completely erroneous”. The same could be said for the decision to shortlist it for an award it thankfully failed to win.

Philip Kiernan
Irish Council Against Blood Sports
Mullingar, Co. Westmeath

 ACTION ALERT 

Please join us in asking the Public Relations Institute of Ireland and the Public Relations Consultants Association to reject nominations for cruelty campaigns in future awards.

Mr Gerry Davis
Chief Executive
Public Relations Institute of Ireland
8 Upper Fitzwilliam Street
Dublin 2

Tel: +353 1 661 8004
Mobile: +353 86 8274390
Email: gerry@prii.ie (with a copy to members of PRII National Council)

Laurie Mannix
Chairman
Public Relations Consultants Association
8 Upper Fitzwilliam Street, Dublin 2
Email: laurie@mkc.ie
Tel: +353 1 661 8004