Should Public Relations be Regulated?

2025-12-30

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Public relations shapes what people believe, how communities respond, and which ideas earn trust. It influences elections, corporate crises, government decisions, reputations, and public sentiment. Yet unlike medicine, law, or engineering, anyone can call themselves a PR professional. No license. No minimum standard. No consequences when things go wrong. What happens when a profession with this much power has almost no guardrails?Some say that freedom is essential for open societies. Others say it leaves the public exposed. What happens if we build ...

Public relations shapes what people believe, how communities respond, and which ideas earn trust. It influences elections, corporate crises, government decisions, reputations, and public sentiment.

Yet unlike medicine, law, or engineering, anyone can call themselves a PR professional. No license. No minimum standard. No consequences when things go wrong. What happens when a profession with this much power has almost no guardrails?

Some say that freedom is essential for open societies. Others say it leaves the public exposed. What happens if we build those guardrails too strong?

In this episode we walk the line of tension between protection and freedom.

Listen For

4:28 What problem is PR regulation really trying to solve?
9:47 Does regulation protect the public, or just PR pros?
12:38 Could PR regulation threaten free speech?
14:23 Is there a middle ground on PR regulation?
18:37 Can licensing and ethics training reshape PR?

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