Public Relations 

(or PR) is a field concerned with maintaining public image for high-profile people, commercial businesses

and organizations, non-profit associations or programs. Public relations (PR) concerns professions working in public

message shaping for the functions of communication, community relations, crisis management, customer relations,

employee relations, government affairs, industry relations, investor relations, media relations, mediation, publicity, speech-

writing, and visitor relations. The first World Assembly of Public Relations Associations, held in Mexico City in August 1978,

defined the practice of public relations as "the art and social science of analyzing trends, predicting their consequences,

counseling organizational leaders, and implementing planned programs of action, which will serve both the organization and

the public interest." [1]. Others define it as the practice of managing communication between an organization and its publics.
[2]
 Public relations provides an organization or individual exposure to their audiences using topics of public interest

and news items that provide a third-party endorsement[3] and do not direct payment.[4] Common activities include speaking at

conferences, working with the media, crisis communications, social media engagement[5], and employee communication. It is

something that is not tangible; this is what sets it apart from advertising.

PR can be used to build rapport with employees, customers, investors, voters, or the general public.[4] Almost any

organization that has a stake in how it is portrayed in the public arena employs some level of public relations. There are a

number of related disciplines falling under the banner of Corporate Communications, such as Analyst Relations, Media

Relations, Investor Relations, Internal Communications and Labor Relations. PR professionals focus on building

relationships that help to establish rapport with publics. Public Relations professionals must know how to write clearly, speak

clearly, and think analytically. These skills are necessary because in the field of PR there is constant communication

between professionals and their publics. PR professionals also have to think critically so that they can come up with

resolutions to problems their clients may face.

There are many areas of public relations, but the most recognized are financial public relations, product public relations, and

crisis public relations.

 Financial public relations - providing information mainly to business reporters.

 Consumer/Lifestyle public relations - gaining publicity for a particular product or service (rather than using

advertising).

 Crisis public relations - responding to negative accusations or information.

 [hide]

1 The industry today

2 History

3 Methods, tools and tactics

o 3.1 Tools

o 3.2 Publics targeting
 o 3.3 Lobby groups

o 3.4 Spin

 3.4.1 Spi

n doctors

o 3.5 Other

4 Politics and civil society

o 4.1 Defining the

opponent

o 4.2 Managing

language

o 4.3 Conveying the

message

5 Front groups

6 See also

7 References

8 Further reading

9 External links

[edit]The industry today

The need for public relations personnel is growing at a fast pace. The types of clients that PR people work for include the

government, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, specific industries, corporations, athletic teams, entertainment

companies, and even countries. The title public relations is a broad description of the field because careers that one can

have in the public relations field include a publicist, media specialist, analyst, and communications specialist.

The practice of public relations is spreading widely. On the professional level, there is an organization called Public

Relations Society of America (PRSA). This organization is the world's largest public relations organization. PRSA is a

community of more than 21,000 professionals that work to advance the skill set of public relations. PRSA also fosters a

national student organization called Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). Both of these organizations

should be strongly considered by anyone looking to have a career in public relations. Being a part of PRSA and PRSSA

gives persons interested in the public relations field the opportunity to attend workshops that are beneficial to this field,

networking, and conferences.

Public Relations professionals earn an average annual salary of $49,800. Top earners bring home around $89,220 annually,

while entry-level PR specialists earn around $28,080.[6]

media include blogs, social networking sites, as well as internet radio. Public relations professionals must know that using

these new media outlets are ways to directly send messages to their key publicians (also known as target audiences).

[edit]History

Edward L. Bernays, nephew of Sigmund Freud, is widely recognized as the father of public relations. Bernays graduated

from Cornell University in 1912 and opened the first recognized public-relations firm with Doris Fleischman in 1919.
[7]
 As Harold Lasswell explained in 1928, "public relations" was a term used as a way of shielding the profession from the ill

repute increasingly associated with the word "propaganda": "Propaganda has become an epithet of contempt and hate, and

the propagandists have sought protective coloration in such names 'public relations council,' 'specialist in public education,'

'public relations adviser.' "[8]

[edit]Methods, tools and tactics

It has been suggested that Black Public Relations be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

Public relations and publicity are not synonymous, but many PR campaigns include provisions for publicity. Publicity is the

spreading of information to gain public awareness for a product, person, service, cause or organization, and can be seen as

a result of effective PR planning. More recently in public relations, professionals are using technology as their main tool to

get their messages to target audiences. With the creation of social networks, blogs, and even internet radio public relations

professionals are able to send direct messages through these mediums that attract the target audiences. Methods used to

find out what is appealing to target audiences include the use of surveys, conducting research or even focus groups. Tactics

are the ways to attract target audiences by using the information gathered about that audience and directing a message to

them using tools such as social media or other technology.

[edit]Tools

There are various tools that can be used in the practice of PR. Traditional tools include press releases and media kits which

are sent out to generate positive press on behalf of the organization. Other widely-used tools include brochures, newsletters

and annual reports.

Increasingly, companies are utilizing interactive social media, such as blogs, Twitter and Facebook, as tools in their PR

campaigns. Unlike the traditional tools which allowed for only one-way communication, social media allows the organization

to engage in two-way communication, and receive immediate feedback from their various stakeholders and publics.

One of the most popular and traditional tools used by public relations professionals are a press kit (also known as a media

kit). A press kit is usually a folder that consists of a promotional materials that gives information about an event,

organization, business, or even a person. What is included would be a backgrounder or biography, a fact sheet, press

release (or media release), media alert, brochure, newsletter, photograph with a caption, copies of any media clips, and

social media. With the way that the industry has changed, many organizations may have a website with a link, "Press Room"

which would have online versions of these pieces.

A fundamental technique used in public relations is to identify the target audience, and to tailor every message to appeal to

that audience. It can be a general, nationwide or worldwide audience, but it is more often a segment of a population. A

good elevator pitch can help tailor messaging to each target audience. Marketers often refer to economy-driven

"demographics," such as "black males 18-49," but in public relations an audience is more fluid, being whoever someone

wants to reach. For example, recent political audiences include "soccer moms" and "NASCAR dads." There is also a

psychographic grouping based on fitness level, eating preferences, "adrenaline junkies," etc...

In addition to audiences, there are usually stakeholders, people who have a stake in a given issue. All audiences are

stakeholders (or presumptive stakeholders), but not all stakeholders are audiences. For example, if a charity commissions a

PR agency to create an advertising campaign to raise money to find a cure for a disease, the charity and the people with the

disease are stakeholders, but the audience is anyone who is likely to donate money.

Sometimes the interests of differing audiences and stakeholders common to a PR effort necessitate the creation of several

distinct but complementary messages. This is not always easy to do, and sometimes – especially in politics – a

spokesperson or client says something to one audience that angers another audience or group of stakeholders.

[edit]Lobby groups

Lobby groups are established to influence government policy, corporate policy, or public opinion. An example of this is the

American Israel Public Affairs Committee, AIPAC, which influences American foreign policy. Such groups claim to represent

a particular interest and in fact are dedicated to doing so. When a lobby group hides its true purpose and support base, it is

known as a front group. Moreover, governments may also lobby public relations firms in order to sway public opinion. A well

illustrated example of this is the way civil war in Yugoslavia was portrayed. Governments of newly succeeded republics of

Croatia and Bosnia invested heavily with American PR firms, so that the PR firms would give them a positive war image in

the US.[9]

[edit]Spin
Main article: Spin (public relations)

In PR, "spin" is sometimes a pejorative term signifying a heavily biased portrayal in one's own favour of an event or situation.

While traditional public relations may also rely on creative presentation of the facts, "spin" often, though not always, implies

disingenuous, deceptive and/or highly manipulative tactics. Politicians are often accused of spin by commentators and

political opponents when they produce a counterargument or position.

The techniques of spin include selectively presenting facts and quotes that support one's position (cherry picking), the so-

called "non-denial," phrasing in a way that assumes unproven truths, euphemisms for drawing attention away from items

considered distasteful, and ambiguity in public statements. Another spin technique involves careful choice of timing in the

release of certain news so it can take advantage of prominent events in the news. A famous reference to this practice

occurred when British Government press officer Jo Moore used the phrase It's now a very good day to get out anything we
want to bury, (widely paraphrased or misquoted as "It's a good day to bury bad news"), in an email sent on September

11,2001. The furor caused when this email was reported in the press eventually caused her to resign.

[edit]Spin doctors

Skilled practitioners of spin are sometimes called "spin doctors," despite the negative connotation associated with the term.

Perhaps the best-known person in the UK often described as a "spin doctor" is Alastair Campbell, who was involved

with Tony Blair's public relations between 1994 and 2003, and also played a controversial role as press relations officer to

theBritish and Irish Lions rugby union side during their 2005 tour of New Zealand.[citation needed]

State-run media in many countries also engage in spin by selectively allowing news stories that are favorable to the

government while censoring anything that could be considered critical. They may also use propaganda to indoctrinate or

actively influence citizens' opinions. Privately run media also uses the same techniques of 'issue' versus 'non-issue' to spin

its particular political viewpoints.