A debate has been raging on PR News' Twitter and LinkedIn pages: Should PR pros get accredited? Don Radoli, a senior communications officer who posed the question on LinkedIn, echoed the sentiment we saw play out on Twitter:
"We've had many discussions in this group about this topic. Opinions seem to be split down the middle. Veterans who have migrated to PR from other fields seem to think accreditation is unnecessary while young graduates and others who have formal education tend to favor accreditation to weed out ‘press agents.’"
Those against accreditation in public relations (APR) certification say that it is dated, not valued outside of the PR industry and not professionally rigorous or specialized enough. Pro-accreditation folks say that having the credential shows a commitment to PR standards and ethics, in addition to helping communicators stand out from the marketing crowd.
It’s interesting that those who responded to our question on Twitter were resoundingly pro-APR, while the LinkedIn discussion was roughly 50-50.
So, where do you fall on the PR accreditation debate?
Follow Lucia Davis: @LKCDavis
