What Good is Public Relations?

The other day a student came to me to say she was strongly considering pursing a career in public relations, but one thing that was holding her back were some friends. Specifically, she said they were questionning the importance of public relations and telling her it represented little more than fluff. Her concern was that did not want to enter into a profession that people did not respect or made little, if any, meaningful contribution to society. After sharing this, she asked me what I thought of their comments and what suggestions I might have for her. In a nutshell, my reaction to her is that I have heard these observations many times before and they continue to be worth discussing.

I certainly understand why some view public relations as fluff. After all, does society really need events where workers wear the same t-shirt or at a given point balloons drop from the ceiling?  Could we a species live without talking heads on various interview shows yelling at each other? Without question, the answer is "yes." I confess to finding those and other examples of what I consider low-ball publc relations to be of little use or, at best, off-putting. But what we as a people do need are those dedicated to helping us more effectively connect, more deeply understand each other, and be better skilled at interacting with each other.

It is those needs that the professional communicator attempts to address. Do not let the fact that sometimes as part of that effort they bring in balloons, uniforms and other seeming unnecessary nicities make you lose sight of a public relations practitioner's overriding purpose. Nor should any of us allow people who are either unethical or not very good at public relations turn us off from the profession. One only has to look around at the many problems and challenges facing our country and world today to recognize the need for better communication. Who better to lead that charge than professional communicators? In short, it is a very vital profession that is needed as much today as.it will be tomorrow.  

Information and Persuasion

The dynamic between members of the press and public relations practitioners has definitely evolved over the years. As someone who has worked as both a reporter and in public relations I can attest that interaction between the two has not always been smooth. While my own first-hand interactions have generally been collegial and professional, I have witnessed encounters between professionals from each camp get rather nasty as the two have bumped heads over (1) particular stories reporters were pursuing yet who felt they were beng symied by the public relations office; (2) particular stories the public relations officer wanted the press to cover, yet reporters were resisting as they questioned the story's news value.

In these kind of disputes, the reporter and the pubic relations practitioner both have understandable perspectives. Thjis is probably why their "discussion" can get pretty heated. Thus, the conflict ensues along predictable lines where the two huff and puff. Sometimes the two sides work out a compromise and sometimes not. Over the years, other than on a national level, I have seen less of this kind of conflict. The primary reason for this is that two need each other a lot more in today's world than they used to. There are fewer reporters, for one thing, so they are more inclined to turn to the public relations office for information. On the other side, public relations practioners have channels other than the press through which to commnicate with their publics. Thus, they are not as pressured to achieve media coverage as in years past.

No matter how nicely the two sides play or how much circumstances for each profession changes, there will always be tension or conflict between them. Reporters are in the business of gathering and sharing information. They seek to inform. Public relations practitioners seek to gather information with the intent of using it to persuade. This is no small difference. As the basic agenda of the two is so fundamentally different, this difference will never be totally bridged. Reporters seek to share information in a balanced way. PR practitioners want to take that some information and shape it in way that best suits them. This dance will never change. Nor should it. .

Citizen Journalists

For many years one of the most consistent criticisms of electronic media has revolved around its centralization. Only a few corporations serve as gate keepers in information that is gathered, edited and then shared with the general public. The result, critics have claimed, is that much of the news presented to the so-called masses is limited in scope and shaped to support and/or promote the conglomerates that own the networks. Much of these critiques remain valid. The fact that fewer people are using the main networks as their primary sources of information and news speaks to the growing dissatisfaction among the public with the job television news shows are doing.

Due in large measure to social media, one conglomeration of people throughout the world leading this exodus from the networks are citizen journalists. These non-professional men and women are taking advantage of  social media and using it to share or communicate news and information in ways that are often faster than what the networks do. Granted, what they report via such outlets as twitter, Facebook and you tube may not always be as sophisticated or polished as the networks, but more and more we are witnessing examples of their power and reach. One only has to look at the Arab Spring that began in 2011 in the Middle East and North Africa to see the power of these amateurs.

Citizen journalists are not part of any well-financed machine. Rather, they are individuals whose primary affiliation seems to be with concept of sharing information with others. They are decentralizing the reporting of news while representing an emplowerment of the individual in ways none of us have seen in a very long time - if ever. In a classic example of "if you can't beat 'em, then join 'em," the networks have even started encouraging citizen journalists to share information and visual elements they compile. Such a trend is a healthy one for any society wishing to be or remain open and free.   

Our Main Hope

I am one of millions of Americans right now who is reeling from the most recent act of mass violence that occurred in downtown Boston at its annual marathon. Once again, multiple people were killed and even more seriously injured. The main difference between this horrific act of violence and ones our nation has experienced in recent months is that this time bombs were used. Past acts involved a shooter. No one I know takes any comfort in that distinction. If anything, what happened in Boston  affirms the reality that when bad people decide to do harm to others, they have numerous options on how best to do it. This only makes things worse.

What happened in Boston adds fuel to the current debate going on throughout the country, particularly in Congress, regarding the registgration and availability of firearms. In many quartes, the debate is as heated as it emotional. It involves people of good faith and, in some cases, not-so-good faith; people genuintely interested in reaching a consensus with others and some who are not; some who are well informed on the issue and some who are not; some who are rich and influential and some who are not. In other words, it is typically American. These categories of people are the same ones who elect membes of Congress, judges and even the president.

I do not see that caste of characters ever changing. Given that, it is no wonder the democratic process that distinguishes the United States will be forever imperfect. Sometimes good decisions will be made and sometimes not. Sometimes good people will be put into positions of power and sometimes not. This realty is how our country rolls. Our only chance of coming even within range of perfection, is found in how well we communicate with each other. Do we do so in good faith or not? Will the ones we look to as our premiere communicators, including the media and public relations practitioners, strive to maintain the highest level of honesty and integrity in what they do? I, for one, sure hope so.

Innocence and Darkness

Public relations has a dark side and it goes by the name of strategic communication. Before I explain, I preface this by emphasizing I do not believe one is good and the other evil; nor do I believe one is necessarily preferable over the other. As is the case in so much of life, which of these aspects of communication should be utilized is often dicated or determined by the circumstances.. Also, neither should be carried out with anything less than the highest standards. Honesty and a commitment to ethics should be the values under which each is approached and ultimately implemented. Given that, what, then, makes one innocent and the other dark?

A primary purpose that public relations carries is to obtain greater visibility. Public relations practitioners devise such strategies as sending out press releases, purchasing advertisements, taping into the various channels of social media, and meeting with various targeted audiences to gain greater notoriety and raise their client's level of popularity. In short, many public relations campaigns carry with them an air of "look at me!" There is, of course, nothing wrong with this, particularly as this profession and practice has never been more popular or utilized in the over one hundred years of its existence. 

On the other hand, what drives strategic communication is the goal of persuasion. Those practitioners who launch this kind of effort are looking to persuade various publics or audiences to take certain actions because it is in the best interest of their client. These actions range from purchasing a particular product and adapting a certain perspectrive to thinking more highly of an organization and changing a form of behavior. Thus, strategic communication goes behind the establishing and maintence of relationships. It is about generating change an organization needs or wishes to make their existence either possible or stronger.     

Superman at 75

It was 75 years ago when the Man of Steel made his debut. That's right. Superman is now three-quarters of a century old. Arguably the most iconic superhero of all time, Superman was introduced by Jerome Siegel and Joseph Shuster in 1938 for "Action Comics." Even though today other superheros, including Iron Man, Spiderman or Batman, to name a few, are more popular, none can deny Superman's rightful spot as the daddy of them all. As George Washington is to American politics, Superman is to all superheros everywhere. For those of us who grew up on comics and thrilled to the adventures of these exceptional characters, we all are in debt to Siegel and Shuster.

It is interesting that while the Superman has gone through several storylines over these many years, the basic premise of his being able to "leap buildings in a single bound" and fight for "truth, justice and the American way" has remained constant. Yes, the various Superman authors that took over from Siegel-Shuster over the years added their own spin to this super hero's personality and personal struggles, yet rarely did they stray from depicting Superman as a most benevolent being whose primary task was to save the day for those who's day needed saving. While this may seem simple, I believe it represents a special brand of credibililty that has enabled Superman to be as timeless as he is.

This credibility is the pirmary reason I am even writing about Superman i nthis venue. For any communication effort or communicator to come even close to being successful, they must be credible. People must believe what is being shared with them is true. Even if we disagree with another person, most if not of all of us are inclined to give that sender of information respect and possibly our attention if we believe they are being honest and not trying to deceive us. The character of Superman continues to be credible in that regard. This is why the general public has kept Superman alive and well all these years. I hope it remains so for at least 75 years more.

Students Measure the Spokesman's Success

One of the tricky aspects of the job of spokesman or press secretary is measuring that person's success. Their job, basically, is to speak on behalf of their client. In interview situations or press conferences, they are responsible for sharing or disseminating particular information. Right? If that is true, then when it comes to evaluation is your assessment based on whether they got the information correct?  Maybe. Or is it also based on whether they hit their head on the microphone, tripped over the podium, cursed out reporters, or were inarticulate in how they spoke? Those are possibilities, too. After all, no organization wants their primary press representative doing those things.

Recently, in the media spokesmanship class I currently teach, I posed the question of measuring a press secretary's success. If you were their boss, on what basis would you determine whther they are doing their job well? Not surprisingly, the class' answers touched on how well the spokesman articulated information and conducted themselves during those times of press interaction. In addition, students also identified other key points of measurement. These included the spokesman's overall relationship with the press; how well they worked with others within their organization; their level of kinowledge on pertinent issues of the day; feedback from the general public; and the quality of communication advice they gave to their organizational superiors.

I found and find these answers to be quite insightful. The spokesman's job goes beyond their level of articulateness. It is far more than their ability to turn a phrase or "look good." Their success or effectiveness is more than what they say. It is also found in how they say it. Additionally, it revolves around the depth of their perfomance when they are not giving interviews and making public comments. Granted, these criteria are largely subjective. That, I believe, is not a bad thing. After all, communication effectiveness itself goes beyond black-and-white data. My students are wise to recognize this reality.

Rex Harlow

It has been twenty years since the death of one of the most significant and thoughtful of the pubic relations pioneers: Rex Harlow. Harlow died at the age of 101 following a career of scholarly research, much writing and thoughtful analysis. Any one in the profession today owes it themselves not to forget Harlow or the contributions he made. His is a name that is not mentioned nearly as often as other of the profession's founding fathers, namely Edward Bernays and Ivy Lee. This is unfortunate because Harlow did much to advance the importance of this social science and increasingly popular profession.

In 1976, Harlow made a bold attempt to encapsulate just what public relations was at that point and, with that information, articulate what it should become. The result was that insight served as a solid bridge between the past and future. He began by identifing and analyzing as many definitons of "public relations" as he could. He ended up examining 472 definitions that had been put forth by other practitioners and scholars since the early days of he twentieth century and interviewing nearly 100 current professionals. Out of that impressive research, Harlow produced his own 87-word definition that presented public relations in a new light.

I quote what I view as the key passage from it: "Public relations is the distinctive management function which helps establish and maintain mutual lines of communication, acceptance and cooperation between between an oganization and its publics..."  For the first time, public relations was being depicted as an act between multiple entities or publics of establishing and maintaing partnerships. Up till then, it was primarily viewed an act of persuasion. Harlow's insight continues to shine today. That was only one of Harlow's contributions to public relations. He also created "Public Relations Review" and "Public Relations Research Review," two highly-acclaimed research publications, and founded the American Council on Public Relations, which later became the Public Relations Society of America. Happy centennial, Professor Harlow.