The Definition Of Public Relations

Scholars all around the world are debating about the question, what public relations is. The term itself provides a really broad definition. It suggests that public relations is about relationships between the public and someone else. The question that follows is what kind of relationship and with whom. Since it is about relationship and relationships are influenced and defined by many different factors, such as culture, politics, religion and economics, it is not surprising that there have been a wide range of public relations definitions, theories and practices.

The Institute of Public Relations (IPR), an association for public relations practitioners established in 1948, tried to define the term public relations in 1987 as “the planned

Public Relations is the discipline which looks after reputation, with the aim of earning understanding and support and influencing opinion and behaviour. It is the planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual understanding between an organisation and its publics” (CIPR, 2017).

In the following essay, the last sentence of the CIPR definition will be analysed. To do this, the essay will first look at different definitions of the term public relations, and will then provide an outline of current PR theories and practices. With the provided information, the essay will then critical evaluate the IPR definition and conclude its findings.

For the purpose of this essay, the CIPR definition of publics will be used, in which “publics” are defined as an audience (CIPR, 2017), that will receive and be affected by communication. In this sense, public relations is about a relationship between an audience, which is being addressed, and someone else.

In 1976 Rex Harlow tried to create a common definition for public relations, since he believed that the existing definitions “have been so diverse and conflicting,” and “they have failed to impress or satisfy” (Harlow, 1976, p. 34). He defines Public Relations

36).

But since even until today there has been no common definition of public relations, it raises the question, was this definition satisfying and impressing enough? To this is not the question of this essay. Harlow’s main points of his definition are management, mutuality, responsibility and public interest, and some of these aspects can be found in other definitions as well.

The IPR incorporate the management idea in the first part of the statement: “planned and sustained effort”. It does not include the other aspects mentioned by