One-time high profile political activist and respected academic linguist Noam Chomsky has taken on the public relations industry. In this 3.48-minute interview on Al Jazeera, he contends that PR is a tool of control by the elite to keep the masses in the dark, undermining democracy. Yet, he says, "nobody says anything."
This kind of rhetoric seems to be anachronistic in this media-savvy era when just about everyone demands access to PR representation, much like they do for legal counsel. The Superbowl has almost become a national holiday celebrating commercial creativity in America
Among those responding to Chomsky has been Jack O'Dwyer, founder of Odwyerpr.com, the information site for PR agencies. Last Friday, former journalist O'Dwyer published an analysis of Chomsky's remarks. Here you can read that.
The question is if the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) will issue a deconstruction of Chomsky's position and address those issues. If it doesn't one has to wonder if that trade association remains a front-lines advocate for the art and science of communications?
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