Former Foreign secretary Lord Hurd this week attacked the media for
putting business and political leaders in the dock, and called on PR
people to redress the balance.
His remarks came at a dinner in London for the 70th birthday of Hill and
Knowlton.
’As soon as you make a mistake anything you have ever done for good in
your life is forgotten, and the searchlight fastens only on your
failure,’ said Hurd. ’Whether it can be buttressed by PR, I don’t know.
I only hope so.
’The answer must lie in informed public opinion - a public which knows
something about the issues before the crisis occurs.’
H&K UK chairman Antony Snow echoed Hurd’s sentiments. ’The public
interest is being hijacked by those with the least public
accountability,’ he said.
’If the public has the will to decide, then it must have the opportunity
to listen. Listening means hearing all sides.’
The dinner was attended by senior politicians, business leaders and
journalists including former cabinet ministers Michael Heseltine and
Virginia Bottomley; Associated Newspapers chairman Sir David English;
Boots CEO Lord Blyth; Mail on Sunday editor Jonathan Holborow; Schroders
chairman Wynne Bischoff; FT commentator Sir Samuel Brittan; WPP CEO
Martin Sorrell; H&K president Howard Paster; and Sir Bernard Ingham.
