PR Through Lines
Posted on Feb. 11, 2026 / Subscribe 0
By Suzanne Boys
Hi, everyone. In case we haven’t met, I’m Suzanne Boys. I am a 21-year veteran of higher education, having (accidentally) steered my career toward PR with a doctoral dissertation on crisis communication. After teaching communication and public relations for 20 years at the University of Cincinnati, I recently became the director of communication for one of UC’s colleges. Without a doubt, PRSA has played a pivotal role in my career. I wouldn’t be where I am today without this organization, so I am honored to serve as the Cincinnati PRSA president for 2026.
As I thought about the year ahead, my thoughts kept coming back to the phrase “through lines.” It took me a beat to understand why.
Why “Through Lines”?
At least to me, the environment feels unsettled. We came through the pandemic with changed notions of work and connection. The political temperature is high, and the cultural impacts of siloing are evident. Technology is evolving faster than we can address the attendant questions of authenticity, transparency, and human value. We live screen-mediated lives, with new rules about what it means to communicate. And we swim through a Niagara Falls of information every day.
Is it just me, or is all of that wearying?
But that’s where through lines come in. In a novel or movie, they are plot threads that connect one scene to another. And I believe there are cultural, community, and industry through lines as well. For me, those through lines act like the white edge line on a road during a heavy rain or fog. I can’t see much, but I can see the edge line. It is how we drive safely through the storm.
What Are PR Through Lines?
One of the clearest PR through lines is PRSA’s Code of Ethics. It was first drafted in 1950 and has been revised over the years. Although I teach the code to my students every semester, I am finding it more relevant now than ever. I’m sharing the professional values here as presented on PRSA’s website:
- ADVOCACY We serve the public interest by acting as responsible advocates for those we represent. We provide a voice in the marketplace of ideas, facts, and viewpoints to aid informed public debate.
- HONESTY We adhere to the highest standards of accuracy and truth in advancing the interests of those we represent and in communicating with the public.
- INDEPENDENCE We provide objective counsel to those we represent. We are accountable for our actions.
- LOYALTY We are faithful to those we represent while honoring our obligation to serve the public interest.
- FAIRNESS We deal fairly with clients, employers, competitors, peers, vendors, the media, and the general public. We respect all opinions and support the right of free expression.
These feel like reassuringly clear guidelines for 2026, don’t they?
Looking Ahead
We’ll be focusing on PR through lines in our programming this year, starting with a February panel on the state of PR. Then watch for it to thread through our headline events (Media Day in April and the chapter banquet in November) and our monthly programming.
I look forward to seeing you at those events. And if I do, be sure to let me know what your PR through lines are. I would love to know!
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