Public relations agency d’PR has been fined $4,000 for sending a doctored image to the press following its winning of an industry award.
The Dubai-based outfit, which was named agency of the year at the Middle East Public Relations (MEPRA) Awards at the beginning of the month, altered a MEPRA-supplied photograph, resulting in sponsor logos being airbrushed out and d’PR’s logo being inserted. The altered picture was reproduced in the Gulf News and the Khaleej Times.
MEPRA said the action was a serious breach of ethics and has placed d’PR on probation for 12 months. The organisation has also banned d’PR from entering next year’s agency of the year category and told the agency to undertake internal training on ethics. All employees must also sign a copy of the Code of Practice to be lodged with MEPRA.
An independent panel, specifically convened to review the transgression, said the actions of d’PR had put the credibility of the awards at risk.
In a letter to MEPRA, Camilla d’Abo, managing director of d’PR, said: “We had intended the image to be a memory of the event, and recognise this should not have been distributed to the public to promote our agency through this award. We now realise that this action jeopardised the position of the sponsors and the code of practice of MEPRA.”
Oh dear…….. but very funny!
…and? This happens everyday, why is it in CampaignME all of a sudden. Not news worthy in my opinion.
Great PR! HAHAHAHAHA
Ali, it happens everyday, so what? Does that make it right? No. If others haven’t been called out before for doing time, it’s time they did.
The same crime happens everyday, gets reported in countless newspapers everyday. Do they ever stop talking about essentially the same thing? No.
Well said James. Makes you wonder if the information required to secure PR agency of the year was as retouched as the imagery.
Oh Dear!
A case of a retouched photo gone bad