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ПОСОБИЕ ПО АНГЛИЙСКОМУ ЯЗЫКУ ДЛЯ СТУДЕНТОВ ГУМАНИТАРНЫХ ВУЗОВ

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It is often important to draft a proposed statement or release and submit it to legal counsel for approval. The release should give as much information as possible and be phrased clearly and concisely. The object in such a release is to convince the public that the organization is not hiding behind legal technicalities but, at the same time, must protect itself from possible lawsuits and litigation.

Your relations with legal counsel will be more pleasant and more productive if you keep abreast of new developments. To do this, you should maintain a file of newspaper and magazine articles that report on legal develop-ments and decisions relating to public relations. This might include new regulatory guidelines, consent decrees, libel awards, trademark infringement suit, product recalls, and court decisions on employee privacy.

To ensure the best cooperation and mutual respect between the legal and public relations functions, here are some guidelines:

• Each department should have a written definition of its responsibilities.

• The heads of both departments should be equal in rank and report to the organization's chief executive officer or executive vice-president.

• Both departments should be represented on key committees.

• The legal counsel should keep the public relations staff up to date on legal problems involving the organization.

• The public relations staff should keep the legal staff up to date on public issues and media concerns that will require an organizational response.

• The two sides should regard each other as allies, not opponents.

□ Words and word-combinations

1. to draft a statement — составить заявление

2. to submit to smb for approval — подать (заявление) к.-л. для утверждения

3. legal technicality — юридическая сторона

4. to keep abreast — не отставать от, идти в ногу

5. to be represented on key committees — иметь представителей в важных комитетах

6. to keep smb up to date on — держать к.-л. в курсе событий

С. Ethics and Professionalism

Equally important are the ethical and professional values that you bring to your work.

Ethical considerations, like the law, are often ambiguous and subject to interpreta­tion. Most situations are neither black nor white but rather various shades of gray. Although the public relations writer is an advocate and must convey information in a persuasive way, this does not excuse the presentation of false or misleading informa­tion. In sum, you have to ask not only whether something is legal but also whether it is the right thing to do.