An introduction to PR

I think two key points to remember from this week's readings were:

1. The democratization of communications is quickly redefining how public relations is used
2. PR is a science, an art and a business

The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that:

In the past, communicating with a mass audience was available only to corporations which had enough resources to afford to incur massive fees in pushing their messages through media channels required. In this corporate context, public relations was often said to "faciliate relationships and understanding between and organization and its publics" (McElreath in Johnston & Zawari, 2009).

However, the arrival and availability of affordable media recording and production tools and the Internet has resulted in the democratization of communications. Today, anyone with access to a mobile phone with built-in camera and the Internet is able to put out messages to a large audience.

Acknowledging this changed communication landscape, where messages are no longer propagated by organizations but can also be created and spread by its publics, Johnston and Zawari (2009) redefined PR as "the development and management of ethical strategies
using communications to build relationships with stakeholders or publics".

In order to develop and build relationships with its stakeholders (who always take an active interest in an organization or its actions) or its publics (who can be either active or passive in its interactions with an organization), the PR practitioner must be:

1. Systematic in constructing models and frameworks by which the audience can be understood (Science)
2. Creative in coming up with new and fresh ways of communicating with audiences (Art)
3. Prudent in achieving and creating the best possible value and end result with limited resources (Business)

Practicing PR requires the combination and synthesis of many disciplines.

This post refers to the readings for Week 2 -- Chapters 1, 2 &3.