Malaysia's PR crossroads: Time to lead with ethics, not optics

In light of World Public Relations Day, we join a global community of communicators in celebrating the power of truth, trust, and transparency. It is a day that honours the role of public relations (PR) in shaping conversations, influencing perceptions, and building bridges between institutions and society.

More than a profession, PR is a force that moves people, connects ideas, and strengthens nations. Beyond the festivities and hashtags lies an industry standing at a critical juncture – respected in theory, but too often relegated in practice.

At its core, public relations is about strategic relationship-building

Managing reputation, influencing public opinion, and creating mutual understanding through truthful and transparent communication. Yet, while the industry has grown globally in size and complexity, its definition has become increasingly blurred.

In many cases, the profession is seen through an outdated lens, either reduced to a factory of press releases or vilified as a machine for spin. Unsurprisingly, many PR professionals now rebrand themselves as strategic communication specialists, distancing themselves from the stigma and signaling a deeper, more purposeful role.

Real PR beyond social media

The rise of digital platforms, influencer culture, and social media marketing has further diluted the public’s understanding of PR. Today, marketers, content creators, digital agencies and anyone with a TikTok following, often lay claim to the PR label, blurring distinctions, eroding the profession’s core identity, and shifting focus from relationship-building to content-churning.

Adding to the identity crisis is the widespread belief that social media management is the core of public relations. In many organisations, PR is reduced to drafting captions, managing reels, or responding to comments, as though virality equals credibility.

Social media is undoubtedly a powerful platform, but it is not the strategy. The overreliance on it, risks confusing volume with value. Real PR is about narrative stewardship, stakeholder engagement, and value-based communication – not just trending hashtags.

In one telling example, during a corporate crisis, an in-house executive declared, “The war is on social media.” That mindset is dangerous. A crisis is not a war – it’s a moment for calm, sincere, and transparent engagement. Approaching crises with a combative lens undermines public trust. Social media can be a valuable platform for updates and listening, but it is not the solution.

Crisis communication is rooted in integrity, accountability, and empathy, not optics or algorithms.

True PR is about building trust, navigating complexity, and shaping relationships that endure far beyond a newsfeed scroll. By conflating PR with social media, we risk diminishing the strategic thinking, stakeholder management, and long-term brand stewardship that sit at the heart of our profession. It’s like confusing the microphone for the message – loud, yes, but hollow without substance.

Battling biases

In Malaysia, the confusion is compounded by fragmentation. We have three existing associations that represent PR practitioners, yet only one consistently receives government funding and operates from within a ministry – despite no legal framework granting it exclusive legitimacy. Worse, discussions on professional accreditation are taking place without proper industry-wide consultation.

Decisions are being made without engaging the very practitioners, agencies, and educators who make up the ecosystem. This top-down approach risks deepening disunity rather than elevating professional standards.

Another pressing challenge is the persistent bias toward foreign PR firms, especially for high-profile government or GLC-led projects and crisis assignments. Time and again, we have seen political lobbyists or communication firms from the UK or US appointed as “PR experts” for Malaysian matters. These firms often engage local personalities, such as ex-media figures, retired marketers, or individual consultants, as their Malaysian ‘representatives’, to front operations.

This sidelines Malaysia’s vast pool of experienced PR professionals and reinforces the outdated perception that “foreign” means superior. It also ignores a core truth: effective PR is local – rooted in language, cultural nuance, and community dynamics.

In Singapore, the government offers grants to help local PR firms expand globally. In Malaysia, we ironically pay foreign firms to operate in our own saturated and under-supported market – a paradox that must be addressed if we are serious about building national communication resilience.

Ironically, even as the industry grows, we don’t know its actual size. There is no central database, no registry, no coordinated record of how many PR professionals operate in Malaysia or what roles they play. How can we advocate for the profession, plan its future, or attract talent when we don’t even know the numbers to define its scale?

Fragmentation remains our greatest challenge.

We are a vibrant industry, but divided. PR practitioners work in silos, often seeing each other as competitors rather than collaborators. Whether in consultancy agencies or in-house departments, public or private sector, too many relationships remain transactional, not transformative.

Standing together as an industry 

There’s limited mutual understanding, little shared learning, and almost no coordinated efforts to elevate the profession collectively. In-house teams often struggle to be seen as strategic drivers, battling internal perceptions that PR is a “cost centre” or simply promotional. Heavy workloads leave little time for strategic planning or upskilling, especially in emerging areas like ESG or crisis simulation.

For PR agencies, procurement practices further weaken the profession. Tenders often use outdated templates that reflect little understanding of communications work, favouring agencies based on personal ties or foreign branding. Unrealistic timelines, exploitative contract terms, and chronic payment delays continue to place unnecessary strain on agencies, particularly smaller firms trying to grow.

These challenges are not merely operational. They are existential. If we are to move forward as a profession, we must first look inward.

Yet, amidst these challenges, opportunity abounds. On this World PR Day, let us reset the foundations of our profession, anchored in ethics, truth, and trust. PRCA Malaysia’s Code of Ethics & Integrity sets a strong precedent, providing a clear framework for responsible communication grounded in global standards and local values.

Let us reframe our role, no longer as support functions, but as strategic enablers of trust, transparency, and transformation. PR practitioners are not content managers; we are architects of narratives and custodians of conscience.

And let us reimagine the future – one where Malaysian PR professionals shape global conversations, influence policy, and lead with authenticity. Let’s build a profession that’s not just visible, but valued.

We must come together, to break the silos, and collaborate across associations, agencies, and sectors. Only then can we elevate the standing of PR in Malaysia. not as noise-makers, but as nation-builders. At its heart, PR is about connection. Connection to people, to purpose, and to truth.

Happy World PR Day! May we tell our stories with courage, lead with conscience, and build with clarity, for a better industry, and a better Malaysia.

This article was written by Mohd Said Bani C.M. Din, president, Public Relations and Communications (PRCA) Malaysia