PRSA, which has commented on issues such as News Corp.'s hacking scandal, a PR firm "blacklisting" media, and paid vs. unpaid internships, is strangely silent on Egypt's jailing of journalists.

The Society's website, under "news and commentary," lists speakers at the national conference in October and Silver Anvil winners but nothing about jail sentences that have sparked protests from around the world.

The Committee to Protect Journalists reports that 1,059 have been killed since 1992; 211 were in prison as of the end of 2013, and 456 were exiled since 2008. UNESCO and others are campaigning against worldwide repression of journalists.

fiskeRosanna Fiske (pictured), 2011 chair, frequently expressed herself on issues, posting a long article on whether PR should be done for "undemocratic" Middle East regimes on PR Newser March 18, 2011.

She paraphrased Alastair Campbell, PR head of U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, as saying that PR firms should not shy away from representing those whom society has cast aside as repugnant. Perhaps PR firms can help certain countries "move down the road to freer societies," said the Fiske article.

Sought Help from NYT

Fiske was featured in a New York Times ad column by Stuart Elliott Nov. 22, 2011 enlisting the help of readers in coming up with a new definition of PR.

Chair-elect Kathy Barbour on Feb. 5, 2014 praised CVS for not selling any more tobacco products.

Gerard Corbett, 2012 chair, called unpaid PR internships unethical if paid-for work is done.

Fiske blasted the News Corp, for its initial response to phone-hacking charges.

The Society on June 17, 2011 sent out a statement condemning the Redner Group for threatening to "blacklist" reporters who wrote negative reviews of the Duke Nukem Forever game.

The release condemned blacklisting as "unethical."

Fiske on March 18, 2011, published a long statement on PR Newser discussing the "uprisings in the Middle East"and wondering if PR firms should work for "Tyrants."

She quoted Alastair Campbell as writing in the Financial Times that PR should not shy away from representing those whom society has cast aside as repugnant. Perhaps PR might help the countries to move toward freer societies, he said. Rosanna did not take a stand but asked readers for their opinions.