To the Editor:
Your May 26th article describing a poll of young PR professionals is troubling.
While it claims that a "poll" was conducted on PRSA's PRConline listserv, we found no evidence of solicitation for participation in any type of survey.
However the poll was conducted, it was not done using methodologies that would ensure statistical validity. The author of the article told us he wasn't trying to do scientific
research, just to talk to 50 people and report what they said. He also mentioned that the survey would get visibility for his own organization. PR NEWS has told us this was just
"a snapshot." Unfortunately, it was presented as research, leading readers to believe the results were valid.
In fact, the "findings" conflict dramatically with a 2002 PRSA membership survey, conducted by national research firm under the direction of one of the profession's leading
researchers, (a non-member, to ensure against any kind of bias). That survey (95% confidence level, margin of error +/- 4%) found that young professionals are the fastest-growing
segment of PRSA, with the highest levels of satisfaction among all segments of our membership, giving above average ratings to professional development programs, Tactics and our
Web site.
In the future, if PR NEWS wants to survey PRSA members, we'd be happy to work with you to conduct research that is credible and verifiable.
-- Catherine A. Bolton, Executive Director & COO, Public Relations Society of America
From The Editor: In the poll published in the May 26 issue, it was incorrect to refer to the PRSA's listserv as the "official listserv." It has more than 20 "listservs" for
various segments and committees of the Society. Otherwise, PR NEWS stands by the article.