The economy is struggling, but there’s one sector which is thriving by making silk purses out of sows’ ears.
Annually, hundreds of millions are spent paying clever people to make the most of a bad job – for that’s the primary purpose of the PR industry.
Many friends and former colleagues in the sector may dispute that. But lift any press release and you will see the masters of obfuscation at work.
Take as an example the Department of Education’s first release following Paul Givan’s appointment as minister. Headlined “Minister pledges to deliver on key priorities for education”, it opens with a line of breathtaking hubris: “Education Minister Paul Givan has pledged to build on Northern Ireland’s reputation for delivering a high quality, innovative and world-class education system.”
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Readers familiar with the game of PR-Speak Bingo will have ticked off ‘high quality’, ‘innovative’ and ‘world class’. They are common PR phrases.
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