As a PR professional, it's sobering to see the industry
come under the kind of scrutiny regarding government use of VNRs. It's a
fine line between informing the public and using government funds to push for a
specific position or outcome. I think there are lots of gray areas, but at this
point the preponderance of evidence is starting to look bad, both for the
government and the PR agencies in its employ. As we all know, credibility is
all we have - lose that, and we lose our jobs.