The September 2014 Eighth World Public Relations Forum in Madrid will be very ambitious. Themed “Communication With Conscience”, it will address seminal societal questions:
How are organizations changing? How is society evolving? What is the role of communication today?
Dr. Anne Gregory, Chair of The Global Alliance For Public Relations and Communications Management, offers a pathway to response: “We claim to be a major force for good in the world and indeed there are amazing instances where public relations has served peace well … However, we have to admit that the vast majority of our work is done for organizations, not ‘society’…. It’s my absolute conviction that we must do more to serve society…
“We need to educate ourselves to the highest level so we can argue the case for our organizations having a moral as well as economic purpose.”
Contingent issues to be examined at the WPRF include corporate social responsibility, transforming communication, women’s empowerment, and climate change.