Corporate rhetoric participates in public dialogue: A solution to the public/private conundrum

Abstract

Contrary to critics’ charges, corporate rhetoric is not a private intruder into public dialogue; it is simply a new participant. This essay seeks to expose inconsistencies in scholarly treatment of corporate discourse and call attention to blurred boundaries regarding “public” and “private” discourse. Various types of contemporary organizations defy such easy labels, leading only to confusion and unreasonable demonization of so‐called “private” discourse. Rather than simply bifurcating all organizational discourse into “public” and “private,” critics need to use precision in describing organizational discourse and explaining why it is or is not a constructive contributor to what is rightly considered public dialogue.