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conferences, media interviews and speeches, writing of managing communication between an organization and
website and social media content, managing company its publics.
reputation (crisis management), managing internal
communications, and marketing activities like brand Most textbooks consider the establishment of the Publicity
awareness and event management. Success in the field of Bureau in 1900 to be the founding of the public relations
public relations requires a deep understanding of the profession. However, academics have found early forms of
interests and concerns of each of the client's many publics. public influence and communications management in
The public relations professional must know how to ancient civilizations, during the settling of the New World
effectively address those concerns using the most powerful and during the movement to abolish slavery in England.
tool of the public relations trade, which is publicity. Basil Clark is considered the founder of public relations in
the United Kingdom for his establishment of Editorial
Ivy Leeand his friend, Edward Louis Bernays, established the Services in 1924. Propaganda was used by the United States,
first definition of public relations in the early 1900s as the United Kingdom, Germany, and others to rally for
follows: "Public relation is a management function, which domestic support and demonize enemies during the first &
tabulates public attitudes, defines the policies, procedures second World Wars, which led to more sophisticated
and interests of an organization... followed by executing a commercial publicity efforts as public relations talent
program of action to earn public understanding and entered the private sector.
acceptance". In 1948, famous historian Eric Goldman noted
that the definition of public relations in Webster's would be The second half of the 1900s is considered the professional
development building era of public relations. Trade
"disputed by both practitioners and critics in the field."
associations, PR news magazines, international PR
According to Edward Louis Bernays, the public relations agencies, and academic principles for the profession were
counsel is the agent working with both modern media of established. In the early 2000s, press release services began
communications and group formations of society in order offering social media press releases. The Cluetrain
to provide ideas to the public's consciousness. Furthermore, Manifesto, which predicted the effect of social media in
he is also concerned with ideologies and courses of actions 1999, was controversial in its time, but by 2006, the effect
of social media and new internet technologies became
as well as material goods and services and public utilities
and industrial associations and large trade groups for which broadly accepted.The role of public relations professionals
it secures popular support. is changing because of the shift from traditional to online
media. Many PR professionals are finding it necessary to
In August 1978, the World Assembly of Public Relations learn new skills and to understand how social media can
Associations defined the field as"the art and social science affect a brand's reputation.
of analyzing trends, predicting their consequences,
counselling organizational leaders and implementing Strategy adopted in Public Relation (PR):
planned programs of action, which will serve both the Public relations professionals present the face of an
organization and the public interest." organization or individual, usually to articulate its objectives
and official views on issues of relevance, primarily to the
Public Relations Society of America, a professional trade media. Public relations contribute to the way an
association, defined public relations in 1982 as:"Public organization is perceived by influencing the media and
relation helps an organization and its publics adapt mutually maintaining relationships with stakeholders. According to
to each other."In 2011 and 2012, the PRSA developed a Dr. Jacquie L'Etang from Queen Margaret University, public
crowd-sourced definition:"Public relation is a strategic relations professionals can be viewed as "discourse workers
communication process that builds mutually beneficial specializing in communication and the presentation of
relationships between organizations and their argument and employing rhetorical strategies to achieve
publics."Public relations can also be defined as the practice managerial aims."

"Building relationships is not about transactions-it's about connections."

6 PR COMMUNICATION AGE July - December 2020