I just finished reading an article about the Taliban’s PR campaign to improve its image. Now if you guessed that I was reading it in The Onion – one of my favorite places for ironic, sarcastic humor – that would make total sense. But this story actually appeared in the NYT.

My colleague Mike Sacks recently wrote about his beef with corporate apologies. And if you follow this blog, you already know mine: people who talk about public relations or communications as a solution for bad policy. The idea that the Taliban needs a PR campaign to “improve its image” is a perfect, albeit extreme, case in point. The Taliban doesn’t have a PR problem. They are the problem.

The article goes on to point out that the Taliban has issued a new code of conduct that prohibits, among other things:

• Beheadings without an investigation
• Burning down schools
• Suicide bombing of civilians

Now, I am a real believer that journalism should be balanced, and that everyone deserves a voice. But are we really having a serious discussion about the Taliban’s image and the resulting PR campaign? In the NYT?

What’s next? A positioning session to differentiate the Taliban from terrorism?

A Code of Conduct is just a piece of paper if it doesn’t live and breathe with its members, and if it isn’t reflected in the actions and decisions of the individuals. And PR isn’t a solution for bad policy, decisions or actions.

In the words of Forrest Gump, “And that’s all I have to say about that.”

Carreen Winters can be reached at cwinters@mww.com.

cwinters General Corporate code of conduct, policy, reputation