Title
Privileging An Activist Vs. A Corporate View Of Public Relations History In The U.S.
Keywords
Activism; Activists; Corporate-centric; Public relations history
Abstract
This article elaborates on the argument that the history of U.S. public relations has been distorted by the emphasis on corporate functions of public relations. The dominant corporate-centric view of U.S. public relations history often claim that public relations developed as a response to activists who attempted to interfere with business operations. That myopic, corporate-centric view has perpetuated a negative view of public relations as merely a tool of "big business" In the past as well as the present, corporations have been learning from and co-opting activists' innovative public relations techniques. By alternatively grounding U.S. public relations history in the works of activists, we open possibilities for re-imagining the field and legitimizing activists' works as a positive, central component in public relations theory and research. We end by providing resources educators can utilize to teach a more balanced view of public relations history in the U.S. © 2011 Elsevier Inc.
Publication Date
9-1-2012
Publication Title
Public Relations Review
Volume
38
Issue
3
Number of Pages
347-353
Document Type
Article
Personal Identifier
scopus
DOI Link
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2011.11.010
Copyright Status
Unknown
Socpus ID
84862504365 (Scopus)
Source API URL
https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/84862504365
STARS Citation
Coombs, W. Timothy and Holladay, Sherry J., "Privileging An Activist Vs. A Corporate View Of Public Relations History In The U.S." (2012). Scopus Export 2010-2014. 4490.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/scopus2010/4490