Core Values In Times of Crisis

"If you want your core values to mean anything, you have to live them 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And you cannot simply abandon them in times of crisis," PR Week columnist (and weblogger) Paul Holmes writes in his Holmes Report. "But in the wake of America's invasion of Iraq two weeks ago, some Americans -- including some of our leaders -- have engaged in a powerful, coordinated effort based on the apparent belief that while those values are fine when times are good, they are simply too large a burden when times are tough. ... Freedom of speech is the absolute foundation upon which our [PR] profession is built. ... One way to overcome misperceptions about this business -- to counter charges that it is about deceit and mendacity and manipulation -- is to make clear how central advocacy and communications are to democracy. ... How can we deliver freedom to an oppressed people overseas when we are trying so hard to discourage our own citizens from exercising theirs?" Holmes writes.