Defining Public Relations

Essay by ibkensterUniversity, Bachelor'sA, October 2008

download word file, 4 pages 3.0

Defining Public RelationsDefining Public Relations is very subjective. Type 'define public relations' into Google and you will get approximately 79 million results. Definitions can be as simple as: "The promotion and protection of a company's image," or as complex as defending the Presidents decision to keep US forces in Iraq. It is difficult to define public relations, because it encompasses a broad range of philosophies and techniques. By comparing and contrasting three good definitions, any company can come up with a version that best reflects their own public relations department goals.

Public relations is the face and voice of a company that provides outreach to the community, and handles damage control in times of crisis. Creating and protecting that image drives the success of the company. I define public relations as the image that an organization works to portray to the public. I have worked for the State of California as a parole agent for 12 years.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations (CDCR) is always being looked at by the news media who in turn disseminate the information they get to the public. It is extremely important that CDCR’s public relations spokes person gets its message out to the media before negative sources can influence the public. Lets face it the people housed in prisons and those released to the community are constantly being looked at. The way we deal with this population must be conveyed to the public in a way that does not reflect badly on CDCR.

The media plays an important role in our society. It shapes what we think and believe to be true. Without the influence of the public relations department, many big companies would not be where they are today. Public relations is much more than an add. Marketing experts will tell...