Rethinking Public Relations

By Stacey Haire

I chose to read Rethinking Public Relations: PR Propaganda and Democracy by Kevin Moloney. The author has worked in PR for 17 years and has taught and researched for even more years. He teaches at Bournemouth University, and researches into how PR intersects with politics, economics and the media. He says PR has grown and is more widely used in today’s society. Maloney argues everyone needs PR from crooks to the government. It is the low-cost distribution of information, done before large and small audiences, using multiple techniques of self-display.

This second edition sustains the view of PR being weak propaganda. This is the sequel to Rethinking PR: the Spin and the Substance published in 2000. Maloney focuses his discussion on PR in the United Kingdom. PR is part of the United Kingdom’s promotional culture in which the majority of communications are self-interested: PR always serves the interests of those who deploy it. According to Maloney, PR has become more noticeable in the UK in the last forty years. Since then there has been more awareness of the ethics of PR in the UK. The ethical PR person follows professional rules or formal codes of conduct so that they individually produce PR messages in a moral way.

I too believe PR and government co-exists because PR is used to portray a leader’s words into something believable. World War II spread the most PR propaganda when recruiting women to the labor force. PR is also used in unconventional ways against the government. During Vietnam, protestors spread their messages for free by making posters and walking with signs. Although they may not know they are providing PR, they are spreading messages to the public. Maloney’s research provides insight to how PR has grown and changed to be used in all forms of business.

PR on a Budget

By Rachel Forsyth

PR on a Budget by Leonard Saffir is a very interesting and entertaining how-to guide; a must read for all public relations professionals. The book is structured as an informal guide for ‘free, cheap, and worth the money strategies for getting noticed.’ This book seemed like an interesting choice based on the premise of ethics in public relations because conducting public relations in a cheap or free way, should always be ethical.

The strategy the book discusses that I found most interesting is the effective use of media and media lists. Saffir states the importance of forming a media list as the crucial “blood line of public relations.” The book explains to the reader about how to find media contacts that are important to each specific market.“There’s more out there than the New York Times,” the book preaches. Local television, radio and newspapers can be the most beneficial when used effectively.

The book also discusses the importance of social media, or “internet PR.” The Internet makes it possible for the “small practitioner [to have] the same opportunities for success in public relations as the giant companies.” As I near graduation, I too have found that social media is a major element to every public relations arena, big or small. Doing research for an organization seems to most frequently be done online. ‘Wikis’ such as Wikipedia, are “web applications that allow users to add content." Although research is efficient online, there are no ethics police or accuracy police online. It is important to be weary of any and all information retrieved online on behalf of a client. The Internet is a never-ending portal to all businesses, people and networks; therefore ,when using it, the golden rule is important.

PR on a Budget was an excellent book for anyone interested in entering either non profit or for profit public relations. The book offers lots of real-life success stories about businesses that have used public relations effectively ‘on a budget.’

Press Releases Are Not A PR Strategy

Press Releases Are Not A PR Strategy

By: Jayse Nelson

This title may be shocking for some of you reading this because for the past four years of college we have been taught, as a Public Relations student, that press releases ARE a PR Strategy. The author of this text, Linda B. VandeVrede, takes a different approach to PR, one that does not focus on using press releases as the main PR strategy.

Throughout the book, VandeVrede shared different communication approaches that have proven to be successful for many companies. She covers everything from hiring a PR professional to writing a blog. The communication approaches she discusses in each chapter are all ethical and, “…do not involve spin, manipulation, or questionable an unethical practices.” She even included the PRSA code of ethics in the Appendix of the book.

What the author means by her title is that press releases should not be used as the official PR strategy. It should be used according to necessity and newsworthiness of the story. Press releases should be apart of PR strategy, but not THE PR strategy. In addition, VandeVrede notes the Webster’s New World Dictionary definition, “A statement or story prepared for release to the news media.” She states that press releases are too often a sales pitch intended for a consumer audience rather than a publication for news media. This is a valuable lesson we all must learn.


VandeVrede concludes her book by discussing the importance of working within an ethical framework. The PRSA code of ethics was updated in 2000 to include examples of unethical behavior. The author suggests that the reader review these examples and the code of ethics. She suggests the golden rule as one of the ethical frameworks that can guide a company, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

"Ethics in Public Relations: Responsible Advocacy" by Kathy Fitzpatrick and Carolyn Bronstein

"Ethics in Public Relations: Responsible Advocacy" by Kathy Fitzpatrick and Carolyn Bronstein

by: Kristin Bussell

I found "Ethics in Public Relations: Responsible Advocacy" to be a very insightful book for the field of public relations as a whole. The book is a collection of essays, divided into chapters, which each focus on either a particular field within public relations, a common element of PR campaigns, or an issue that frequently surfaces in the field of PR.

For example, the book includes a chapter that focuses on ethics within public relations efforts of nonprofit organizations. I found this chapter especially interesting because I feel like this semester’s work (meaning all the campaigns formulated by our class) was equivalent to working in a nonprofit organization.

An example of an issue this chapter discussed was the temptation to not uphold responsible advocacy by “twisting” information organizations present to news media. Though this temptation exists across the board in all PR fields, the chapter argued that because non-profit practitioners are both passionate about their organization and on an especially tight budget, the temptation is perhaps more prevalent.

Another chapter I found interesting, and very pertinent to our semester’s campaign, was the chapter on the Internet as a newly emerged medium and how to ethically utilize it. The chapter pointed out that because the Internet is essentially commonplace to every working environment it is thereby virtually just as accessible to lower income organizations as it is to larger companies. In other words, the Internet provides a level playing field while at the same time enabling anyone to become an “authority”. As the chapter discussed, this pertains to ethics in PR because since such things as anonymity are achievable there is temptation to, for example, falsely accuse competing companies or falsely promote your own and not take responsibility for the wrongdoings.

Public Relations Disasters

by Matthew Burris

For my ethics book discussion, I read “Public Relations Disasters: Talespin – Inside Stories and Lessons Learnt” by Gerry McCusker.

According to McCusker's website, "With a 20-plus year PR career that includes stints as an advertising copywriter and senior creative, Gerry is a senior creative and PR counsel." [Emphasis: original]

McCusker takes a look at some of the most memorable Public Relations disasters of recent memory and tries to boil them down to something that is understandable. The result is an easy to read, if sometimes hokey, narrative of a series of foibles from the industry and the morals we should all take from them as we move into our professional lives.

The book talks ethics both subtly and overtly.

Occasionally the “disaster” is a major ethical breach, such as the creation of the National Smoker’s Alliance. Designed as a front group for the big tobacco companies, the NSA was championed as a “smokers rights” group.

When the public caught wind of the deception, the NSA was dragged through the mud, and took the entire field of PR with it.

The moral, according to McCusker, is that, “transparency is one of the fundamental tenets of most of the world’s professional PR associations.”

This is just one of the many well chosen case studies covered in the book. Many others go into great detail and illustrate the need for solid ethical conduct by PR practitioners.

Anything less may well lead to major issues.

PR: A persuasive Industry? Spin, public relations, and the shaping of the Modern Media

PR: A persuasive Industry? Spin, public relations, and the shaping of the Modern Media
By Kylie Fisher

PR: A persuasive Industry? Spin, public relations, and the shaping of the Modern Media by Trevor Morris and Simon Goldsworthy addresses the nuts and bolts of the industry while exploring what Public Relations professionals really do. Many students might choose a profession in Public Relations because our culture has split this career into two principals. The view of public relations from a female perception might be seen as fun and different, since workers can work for clubs, restaurant and fashion brands. This is seen in television shows such as Sex in the City and Power Girls. While a males view of public relations might be one of a “spin doctor” where he might work for political parties, governments and large companies. This is seen in the television show Spin City.
In this book, the authors discuss how these ideals have shaped societies view of the career. It discusses that Public Relations people control the media, but often fail to me featured in the news media. This means that PR is a vital component to our society. While society might not always have the best ideal of how public relations works or what it actually is it works for “capitalism, it also works for NGO’s, campaigning groups and political parties of all complexions” (171). I enjoyed this book because not only did it give examples of good and bad campaigns, but it also gave the reader a realistic view of how this industry really works.