First Victory For The Really Ethical PR Agency!

Bell Pottinger's Bahrain Brief Suspended Amid Country's Crisis:

Bell Pottinger, heavily under fire from a small group of protesters for its work in Bahrain, has finally bowed to pressure and suspended it's controversial work on behalf of the Economic Development Board of Bahrain

Rupert Read of The Really Ethical PR Agency commented:

"We're proud of what we appear to have helped to achieve here. This is great news.

"We congratulate B-P and we urge them to cancel all remaining accounts that they have with Bahrain. If they do that, they will earn our genuine goodwill and that of all supporters of the rights of democratic protesters in Bahrain and across the MiddleEast.

"The tide is clearly turning against the age of purely-profit-seeking-PR. Because PR agencies are starting to realise that, for them, representing violent dictators and their countries and their economies is just really bad PR."

Check out are article archives for the full story of how The Really Ethical PR Agency helped to bring about this change in policy from Bell Pottinger.

Lord Bell Clearly Rattled By The Really Ethical PR Agency

In an astonishing outburst in a letter to PR Week magazine, Lord Bell, whose company Bell Pottinger has come under increasing scrutiny for it's links with Middle-Eastern dictatorships, has played the 'i-do-loads-of-work-for-charity' card in a desperate attempt to divert attention from Bell Pottinger's less-than-ethical record.

Bell Pottinger was exposed last month by The Really Ethical PR Agency for it's links with the regime in Bahrain.

Rupert Read (personally targeted by Lord Bell in his ill-judged PR Week attack), whose protest regarding Bell-Pottinger's contract with Bahrain outside their High Holborn office on 25 February sparked the huge media interest in Lord Bell's company said:

"If Bell Pottinger want to become the story, then they should continue as they are doing, namely spinning the unspinnable for bloodstained autocrats such as the Bahraini regime. But what PR firm really wants to become the story, and (therefore) to be subject to ongoing protests? Only a very stupid one.

"Furthermore, B-P really ought to abide by the CIPR Professional Code of Conduct. (After all all, Lord Bell is a fellow of the CIPR). Lord Bell said, after our 1st protest against him, 'We don't create the messages. We don't create the policies. We communicate them...' But under the heading 'Integrity' the CIPR code clearly requires 'Checking the reliability and accuracy of information before dissemination'. Sounds like Bell is not exactly doing his best to create a good public image - for himself or for PR.

"Perhaps that is why one B-P employee told us that he agreed with our protest, and why another has disclosed to us that there is active discussion within B-P about dropping the Bahrain brief."


Read Lord Bell's tantrum in full at www.prweek.com

Brown Lloyd James Targeted In Protest At Gaddafi Promotion Links

An agency with links to the Gaddafi regime is the latest to be targeted by protesters, as scrutiny over the PR industry's dealings with foreign dictatorships intensifies.

International strategic comms agency Brown Lloyd James was hired in 2009 to promote Libyan dictator Muammar Gadaffi as ‘a fascinating world figure’, but now faces being picketed by protest group The Really Ethical PR Agency.


The Really Ethical PR Agency is a protest group led by activist Rupert Read, who also heads the school of philosophy at the University of East Anglia.

PRWeek has also learned a number of UK agencies were contacted by representatives of the Libyan regime in the early stages of the recent uprising.

Industry sources suggested Libyan officials had recently been expl oring hiring media representation out of London, but that this came to nothing.

Brown Lloyd James partner Sir Nicholas Lloyd said that the agency had not done any work for the Gaddafi regime in London, although the firm’s New York office worked for Colonel Gaddafi around his 2009 UN visit and has worked for his son Saif.

He said: ‘At the time, Libya was recognised by British and American governments. They all did business with Gaddafi.’

But Read told PRWeek: ‘Now the mask has been rip ped off, it’s time to remember the disgraceful work being done to imp rove the image of something which is appalling.’

Read’s group appeared outside Bell Pottinger’s High Holborn offices in London on 25 February to protest about its contract with Bahrain.

Subsequent media coverage in the Evening Standard, Radio 4’s Today programme and Channel 4’s Ten O’Clock Live has brought further attention to UK agencies’ work for foreign dictatorships. Last week, Bell Pottinger chairman Lord Bell stated: ‘There is a fad for attacking PR companies.’

Original article published at www.prweek.com