Writing PR history: issues, methods and politics

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to argue that public relations (PR) history-writing has profoundly shaped the discipline and that its US bias may have limited theoretical developments. The author aims to explore the challenges in writing PR history and to consider some of the strategic philosophical issues and challenges that face historians. Design/methodology/approach -Historical interpretations are shaped by authors' social constructions and thus the paper is written reflexively. The author discusses the way in which histories are structured and patterned by their authors' assumptions and values about the nature of time; human civilisation, progressivism, situationalism, inevitability, human agency, cultural change, flux and transformation. Findings -Existing (largely US) PR historical writing is analysed in terms of its theoretical impact through the "four models" and it is argued that this typology is not appropriately applied to other cultures with different paths of historical evolution. As a way of demonstrating this point, key aspects of British developments in the twentieth century are drawn out to reveal a dozen "models" of PR practice that could potentially form the basis of theoretical research. Originality/value -Overall, the paper contributes a discussion of historical methodology in relation to PR; shows the connection between history and theory-building in PR; and demonstrates that history from other cultures can reveal alternative models for theoretical development.

From ad-man to digital manager

“…Especially in the last two decades, job advertisements have been oriented towards media relations, evident in titles, required educational background and required previous experiences. Journalism and strategic communication have mostly been seen as a territorial completion of social roles and legitimacy (L'Etang, 2008;Selznick, 1957). Judging by the collected job advertisements in this study, these fields of practice have become more intertwined in the 21 st century and reflect an integrated multidisciplinary perspective on the communication of organizations that includes insights from corporate communications, public relations, advertising and marketing (Hallahan m.fl., 2007).…”

“…This paper follows L'Etang (2008), who stresses that in order to be legitimized as a profession, scholars, teachers and practitioners need to create and recreate ideals, ideologies, values and norms that can justify and defend business and education. While practitioners perform their working tasks, they learn to not only master a set of intellectual and practical skills but to also become part of a community with specific norms, values and expectations concerning professional and personal conduct.…”

Time Marches On, and So Does the History of Public Relations

“…The critical approach to history has followed on from McKie & Munshi (2007)'s argument that many public relations historical accounts "are unique and unchallenged, or under-challenged, and in need of pluralising with robust perspectives" (p. 119) and "align with a modernist perspective" (p. 120). The critical approach (L'Etang, 2008(L'Etang, , 2014Logan, 2014;McKie & Xifra 2014) has refreshed understanding of public relations by contextualizing it within social and organizational frames, and the pressures and influences that shape communication. Previously it had often been presented as a stand-alone practice with professional ambitions that existed outside organizational, social, political and economic contexts.…”

Public Relations Student Perceptions of Ethics

“…The dominant paradigm positions public relations as a functionalist, management practice, and draws heavily on U.S. industry studies (L'Etang 2008). Its influence can be seen in definitions of public relations used by professional associations; the Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA)'s definition, for example, emphasises "the effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding between an organisation (or individual) and its (or their) publics" (2013, par.…”