Journal of Public Relations Research

Edwards, Lee

2009 Journal of Public Relations Research

doi: 10.1080/10627260802640674

This article applies Pierre Bourdieu's understandings of capital and symbolic power to the public relations environment, to establish a link between the practice of public relations and the social effects of the profession. A three-month case study in the corporate affairs team of a UK passenger transport operator revealed the manner in which the pursuit and maintenance of power is potentially present in all public relations activities. Bourdieu's framework connects individual practice with the social effects of public relations and gives practitioners and academics a new starting point for understanding the nature of power in public relations practice.

Murphree, Vanessa; Reber, Bryan H.; Blevens, Frederick

2009 Journal of Public Relations Research

doi: 10.1080/10627260802640732

Using framing theory to examine hundreds of press releases posted to the Web by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), this study asserts that FEMA provided useful information on survival and assistance, but that the organization emphasized good deeds and optimism while essentially ignoring social, political, and cultural issues that publicly defined the hurricanes and damaged FEMA's image.

Sha, Bey-Ling

2009 Journal of Public Relations Research

doi: 10.1080/10627260802640765

One way for organizations to survive in the increasingly complex and competitive world may be to maintain or “conserve” a strong organizational identity, which often is expressed in organizational mission statements. Framed by literature in business communication, university development, and public relations behaviors (formerly public relations models), this article explores how organizations may use public relations behaviors to create, maintain, and strengthen their identities. Findings indicated that, in the effort to engender stakeholder identification with their organizations, public relations practitioners are better served attempting to do so using symmetrical communication, as opposed to conserving communication.

Coleman, Renita; Wilkins, Lee

2009 Journal of Public Relations Research

doi: 10.1080/10627260802520462

This study gathered baseline data on the moral development of 118 public relations professionals. The respondents scored 7th highest among all professionals tested. They performed significantly better when the ethical dilemmas were about public relations issues than when they were not, indicating domain expertise on ethical issues. No significant differences were found between men and women, or managers and nonmanagers. There were significant correlations between moral reasoning and several variables including political ideology and fundamental/liberal religious views.

Yang, Sung-Un; Lim, Joon Soo

2009 Journal of Public Relations Research

doi: 10.1080/10627260802640773

Key features of blog-mediated public relations are conducive to initiating and nurturing relationships with publics. As a result, blogs have emerged as a new venue for public relations in recent years. Many public relations practitioners have come to realize that blogging is not just a fad and have recognized a growing trend of blogging adoption in the industry—suggesting a need for common principles of successful public relations blogging practices. This study selected the following critical features of effective blog-mediated public relations: salience of narrative structure, dialogical self, blogger credibility, and interactivity. Using these concepts, the researchers proposed a theoretical model in explaining relational trust as a central outcome of effective blog-mediated public relations. Findings showed that dialogical self in blog posts enhanced interactivity, which, in turn, led to an increase in relational trust. Additionally, this study found that blogger credibility played a positive role in relational trust.

2009 Journal of Public Relations Research

doi: 10.1080/10627260903038679