Perhaps this criticism is best answered by the purported founding father of public
diplomacy, Edward Murrow. Murrow (1963) writes: “Truth is the best propaganda and lies are
the worst. To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; to be
credible we must be truthful. It is as simple as that.” Murrow explains the necessity of public
diplomacy to maintain a high level of credibility based on truthful, persuasive reporting.
Inherent in the activity of the diplomat is an appeal to foreign publics grounded in how legitimate
they find the representative and his government to be. A final defense of public diplomacy lies
in the view that it is a tool to be used by governments which does not have a moral requirement.
In this way, public diplomacy is a tool of the diplomat and the government he represents, not
embedded with any special ideals.