I am sorry Jane, I don't buy it.

"Our profession moves quickly, adapts to change and values experience, whether it is gained through years of dedicated practice, through academic achievement or through rapid career progression. In an industry where,
with the right mindset, excellence can be achieved at any stage in a career and where innovation and creativity are the norm, criteria for membership based on long service alone are no longer relevant."
Jane Wilson, MCIPR, CIPR Chief Executive Officer

The Institute took a decade to begin to present the more recent forms of communication as critical to the profession. It now faces the newer challenges of a socially embedded internet. It has to be a leader and opinion former and it has some muscles it can flex with supporting institutions (most being equally blinded by the thrill of using and and preaching social media razzle over substance).

Are the courses presented to the UK profession by the Institute and those accredited educational institutions recognised by the 'professional' institution at least as good as the best of the nine million SlideShare presentations and at least as informed as the best full articles in Wikipedia (340,000 of them http://bit.ly/JbGLP1)?

Beyond Hammersmith, the numbers of people involved in finding and synthesising information and disseminate it to relevant constituents to inform their decision making and actions is huge. Few are swept off their feet at the prospect of being members of the Institute. Not being of those closer to the centre of power, I cannot judge the  extent to which the Institute is embedded in these activities in the capital, namely those who advise governments, professions, institutions as well as public, private and the communications mediators.

Moving quickly, adapting to change and valuing experience is helpful. Innovation and creativity as the norm is exciting. Being able to do simple things like interrogate sources of information to be able to guide publics and those outwith the issues of the day, by comparison, seems boring. It is, never-the-less, the essence of Public Relations.