Prince Harry naked pics have damaged his reputation and media wrong not to publish says PRCA industry survey
Prince Harry’s reputation has been negatively affected by allowing himself to be photographed naked, according to a survey of PR industry heads, the bulk of which believe the press were wrong not to publish the photos.
Having consulted 143 consultancy managing directors and heads of in-house communications teams, the PRCA has found that 43 percent believe the incident has badly affected the Prince’s reputation.
However, the picture session in Las Vegas may have had a positive effect on his reputation, 15 percent of respondents said.
Just over two-thirds (67 percent) stated that they didn’t believe the Royal Family’s reputation was affected, while 63 percent said that the British Press was wrong not to publish the pictures, which have been widely available on the internet.
However, 64 percent also believed that the Royal Family had a right to privacy by attempting to prevent them from being published.
The Palace is understood to have contacted the Press Complaints Commission over the threat of their publication.
Francis Ingham, chief executive of the PRCA, said: “These results demonstrate that the media is now operating in a post-Leveson world. The PR industry clearly agrees with the press that, in this instance, the right to privacy trumped the case of “public interest”. Editors got it right by widely reporting the story without showing the photos themselves.
“The Royal Family has worked hard to cultivate its reputation since the death of Diana. Despite its explosiveness it is unlikely to trump the positive impact the Royal Wedding, Jubilee, and to a lesser extent, Olympics, has had on their image”.
The Drum meanwhile has taken the decision british-press-shouldnt-be-gagging-harry-pictures to publish the images online.