PR practitioners make mistakes. I’ve discussed several instances of PR mistakes in my classes, and I decided to hunt around on the Internet to find more examples of PR blunders. Some examples included

*Mistakes made by President Obama, stating he is over-publicized and making too many promises

*Lady Gaga’s PR sending a confusing and annoying media release found here

Most Web sites included tips on how to avoid common PR mistakes. Recurring tips include

* Make sure news releases are sent to the proper contacts

*Do not use a dull or long headline

*Provide a source after sending a news release

*Properly pinpoint the appropriate time to send news releases

*Write news releases without jargon

Reading all of these tips made me think, “What did these people learn in school?” Of course it’s important to double check who you’re sending a news release to, and obviously a good headline is a necessity. While I’m not claiming I could do a better job than these people (only time will tell) I am frightened at the thought that some PR professionals were not trained in PR. This might be old news, but as a college student about to enter the real world, this thought rocks my schema of PR training. What are the specific qualifications necessary for a PR practitioner to do well in the profession? Is a degree in the field a must-have? Or can the tools be learned from experience? I am beginning to wonder how many PR practitioners received the same education I am getting and how many practitioners fell into the job.