No news flash here when I say Japan has had an earthquake and a tsunami. No shock when I mention the Fukushima nuclear power plant either. But something that did catch my attention happened when I was watching the reports. The Japanese government had told reporters that the Fukushima plant was not in as much critical damage as everyone was making it out to be. The American report in response asked the anchor if the government had said this because it was true or was it a PR move.
At the moment I was a bit offended that he would look for the deceit in such a tragic time, but then I began to wonder. I wouldn’t want to be lied to about something like that! Yet the people have already been through so much pain and confuse, to alert them to another danger before they are sure it will happen might be a bad idea. The people would panic making evacuation nearly impossible. Holding back information until after people evacuate could help things move more smoothly and the people would be safe regardless of the lie.
I don’t think PR should be conducted in a lie. If there is no standard of truth then companies and government would never have to make good on what they say. At the same time, I can understand the move of removing people from harm first before working them up. I can’t say whether the government was right in this approach or not. The plant hasn’t fully exploded so they might have been telling the truth and the reported was assuming the worst for nothing. Still, it gets me thinking about the role PR ethics plays even during tragedy.
I’ll continue praying for this country and for its leadership.
PR According to a College Student 