Public relations
"[8] In 1948, historian Eric Goldman noted that the definition of public relations in Webster's Dictionary would be "disputed by both practitioners and critics in the field.
Furthermore, he is also concerned with ideologies and courses of actions as well as material goods and services and public utilities and industrial associations and large trade groups for which it secures popular support.
evolved into public relations, to rally domestic support and to demonize enemies during the World Wars (compare journalism).
[citation needed] Most[quantify] historians believe modern-day public relations was first established in the US by Ivy Lee (1877–1934) in 1903 when he started working as the image maker for and corporate advisor for Rockefeller.
[citation needed] Meanwhile, in the nascent Soviet Russia of the 1920s, artists and poets (such as Mayakovsky[24]) engaged in public-relations campaigns for various state agencies and causes (note for example Likbez).
Many American companies with PR departments spread the practice to Europe when they set up European subsidiaries in the wake of the Marshall plan of 1948–1952.
[27] Public relations professionals present the face of an organization or individual, usually to articulate its objectives and official views on issues of relevance, primarily to the media.
According to Jacquie L'Etang from Queen Margaret University, public relations professionals can be viewed as "discourse workers specializing in communication and the presentation of argument and employing rhetorical strategies to achieve managerial aims.
Media can be searched and organized in a variety of ways including by type (e.g. magazines, newspapers, radio, TV, webistes/blogs), industry, and publication frequency (e.g. daily, weekly, monthly, online).
Video and audio news releases (VNRs and ANRs) are often produced and distributed to TV outlets for potential use in regular program content.
Sometimes the interests of differing audiences and stakeholders common to a public relations effort necessitate the creation of several distinct but complementary messages.
The theory posited that publics develop in the following stages: Messaging is the process of creating a consistent story around: a product, person, company, or service.
Messaging aims to prevent readers from receiving contradictory or confusing information that could instill doubt in their purchasing choices, or other decisions that affect the company.
PR practitioners have always relied on the media such as TV, radio, and magazines, to promote their ideas and messages tailored specifically to a target audience.
[36] Social media platforms enable users to connect with audiences to build brands, increase sales, and drive website traffic.
The goal is to produce content that users will share with their social network to help a company increase brand exposure and broaden customer reach.
Some of the major social media platforms currently include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, and Snapchat.
Publicists[39] can work in a host of different types of business verticals such as entertainment, technology, music, travel, television, food, consumer electronics and more.
[40] Public relations plays a crucial role in crisis management by helping organizations prepare for, navigate, and recover from unexpected events that threaten their reputation, operations, or stakeholders.
[44] In 2000, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) responded to the controversy by acknowledging in its new code of ethics "advocacy" – for the first time – as a core value of the discipline.
The IABC members use the following list of ethics in order to work to improve values of communication throughout the world:[51] Spin has been interpreted historically to mean overt deceit that is meant to manipulate the public, but since the 1950s has shifted to describing a "polishing of the truth.
[52] Within the field of public relations, spin is seen as a derogatory term, interpreted by professionals as meaning blatant deceit and manipulation.
Corporations are able to hire public relations professionals and transmit their messages through the media channels and exercise a huge amount of influence upon the individual who is defenseless against such a powerful force.
He claims that public relations is a weapon for capitalist deception and the best way to resist is to become media literate and use critical thinking when interpreting the various mediated messages.
It's a diversion whose primary effect is ultimately to undermine the central goal of building trust and nurturing a good relationship.
"[57] The techniques of spin include selectively presenting facts and quotes that support ideal positions (cherry picking), the so-called "non-denial denial", phrasing that in a way presumes unproven truths, euphemisms for drawing attention away from items considered distasteful, and ambiguity in public statements.
[66] Front groups are a form of astroturfing, because they intend to sway the public or the government without disclosing their financial connection to corporate or political interests.
[73] PR firms Havas, Publicis, and Qorvis were hired by Saudi Arabia to perform reputation laundering after 9/11 and the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi.
[71] Most beneficiaries of reputational laundering are politicians or politically affiliated individuals and organizations, but this type of PR can also be employed by businesses and non-politicians.
The United Kingdom government published reports stating that Russian oligarchs had been "extending patronage and building influence across a wide sphere of the British establishment" and had employed public relations firms that were "willing beneficiaries, contributing to a ‘reputation laundering' process".
