The company subcontracts the legwork and serves as more of an overseer, but some experts say working double duty as independent investigator and public relations firm raises the specter of a conflict of interest.
The optics of a dual role
Boston University public relations professor Justin Joseph said there should be a firewall between any investigation and the people doing public relations work.
“(Public relations firms) should be seeing that report at the same time as the general public,” he said.
Joseph said even the perception that something is untoward can be just as damning as actual wrongful behavior.
“Something we teach our students constantly is to operate on the highest level of ethical behavior, and not just because of the rules,” Joseph said. “Really, it’s far deeper than that, because we deal in perception, so you have to go above and beyond the rules.”