Public Misinformation: Sugar Coated Documentary

Discussion
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I was not aware of the Sugar Coated documentary before the course. However, I was aware of the evils perpetrated by food and sugar industries to make their foods more palatable without taking into account the potential health impacts. Once in a while, I have come across social media posts as well as videos on YouTube documenting how food and beverage companies advertise their products as healthy while, in truth, they are associated with serious health conditions. Therefore, while I had not watched the specific documentary, I have come across almost similar videos on social media and YouTube.
The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) have in place values and principles to guide their operations. One principle from PRSA that has not been observed in the case study is “enhancing the profession,” which requires public relations professionals to develop credibility and respect with the public. Professionals in the sugar industry and particularly members of the International Sugar Research Foundation, failed to observe this principle in the sense that they went an extra mile to prevent authorities from making legislation to limit sugar consumption (Hozer, 2015). They were hell-bent on ensuring that the truth about the link between sugar and chronic diseases was not revealed. Despite some scientists disclosing the link between sugar and conditions such as diabetes and heart diseases, the organization used its power and money to promote the opinion that sugar was safe. As stipulated by the Public Relations Society of America (2018), declaring that a product sold by a client is safe without providing evidence to the contrary is improper conduct under the “enhancing the profession” provision.
AAPOR’s responsibility to the public has also not been observed in the case study. AAPOR follows the “Responsibilities to the Public” principle in their research activities, which requires them to...