The Portrayal of Public Relations in the News Media

Abstract

This study explored the meanings and connotations of public relations in news stories carried by major newspapers and network television. The findings suggest that the term public relations was primarily used to suggest image building, reputation management, and persuasion efforts. News story interpretations of public relations terms were likely to refer to publicity, image, campaigns of persuasion, and marketing efforts to promote an organization's claims. The results reveal that negative connotations of public relations prevail in journalists' stories discussing the practice of public relations. The results imply that public relations practitioners trying to pitch their clients' stories need to understand how journalists will likely perceive the stories' news value. Two-way communication should begin with media relations via an understanding of journalists' viewpoints.