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

Socpus ID

84862504365 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/84862504365

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