Beyond the headlines: The important role of PR and communication

I’ve seen a few news stories recently, both here on the Isle of Man and across the UK, criticising organisations, especially public sector bodies, for hiring ‘too many’ PR and marketing professionals.

Of course, budgets are always a contentious topic, but the click‑bait nature of these stories (and the comment sections beneath them) really highlight how misunderstood these roles still are.

Communications, PR and marketing aren’t ‘nice‑to‑haves’, they are essential functions that help organisations, especially public bodies, communicate clearly, transparently and effectively with the people they serve.

This work genuinely matters. Whether it’s public health updates, community engagement, crisis communication, behaviour‑change campaigns or simply helping residents understand what’s happening and why.

Good communication prevents confusion, reduces misinformation and builds trust. And in sectors where decisions affect real people’s lives, that isn’t optional.

Of course some will say, “Well, they’re not communicating well anyway” and of course, many of us have felt that way about the companies and institutions we engage with at times. I’m also not here to use this blog to point out the specific rights or wrongs of any organisation’s communication strategy, either.

However, in my opinion, poor communication is rarely the result of having too many trained comms professionals. It’s usually the result of not having the right support, strategy or resourcing in place.

Effective communication doesn’t happen by accident. It requires planning, clarity, consistency, and expertise, especially in complex public sector environments where decisions affect thousands of people and, when organisations don’t communicate well, the impact is huge: confusion, mistrust, misinformation, frustration, disengagement.

PR, marketing and communications roles aren’t optional extras, they’re essential to transparency, accountability and public understanding and, when they’re missing or undervalued, communities will undoubtedly feel it.