Our Blog: where do you stand?

A Reader Query: Who Gets the Byline?

By: Marijean Jaggers | 09/27/2007

The "Where Do You Stand?" team is very interested in hearing from readers regarding reputation management issues you may be experiencing with your business. That's why I was delighted today when a reader contacted me with a PR scenario. "Elizabeth" operates a (non-PR) professional services firm, and had a question regarding appropriateness.

She wrote, "A law firm hired a freelance PR person to help them get more PR around an important court victory. The PR person pitched an article that he helped the firm develop, with one of the firm's partners, to an online publication. The publication picked up the article. Great, huh?"

Elizabeth continued her e-mail, writing that when the article appeared, the byline was the PR guy's name, with a blurb about his PR firm below the article. She questioned the practice, and worse, the authenticity of such an article.

My reaction to this scenario is that the PR guy's actions were highly inappropriate. The PR person has been hired by the law firm, therefore, the byline should have been the partner's, and the blurb most definitely should have been that of the law firm. It seems the PR practitioner used the media opportunity to promote his own practice, and not his client's. It is common practice in public relations to assist in developing articles with clients, working behind the scenes to keep the focus on the client's success and achievements. It is NOT acceptable to use a client's media opportunity to showcase your own business.

My advice to the law firm is to settle this one out of court, and rethink the strategy behind working with a PR person who puts himself first.

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