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On Reality and Public Relations-public Communication PR and
Social Marketing - Canada
1. Introduction
2. Public relations
2.1 Definition of public relations
2.2 Functions of public relations
3. Public Relations and Reality
3.1 What reality is?
3.2 Actual situation of public relation's influence
4. Conclusion
On Reality and Public Relations
1. Introduction
The key passage from Ewen's interview with Bernays unites
his argument with Rutherford's, and also gives us an important
question to answer. That passage is as follows:
"And there I was; the mystery still unsolved. Yet the
question remained, and remains, open. Things had uncannily
come to pass much as Bernays had described in his hypothetical
disquisition on the work of a PR practitioner, and one was
left to ponder whether there is any reality anymore, save
the reality of public relations? Magnified by my seductive
encounter with Edward Bernays, it is this question, and its
implications for contemporary life, which stands at the heart
of this book."
In order to answer the question, this essay will review definition
and functions of public relations at first and try to find
the answer by discussing the relation between public relations
and reality.
Stuart Ewen's book, PR: The History of Spin, from which the
AC640 chapter "Unseen Engineers: Biography of an Idea"
is taken, opens with a meeting between Ewen and the late Edward
Bernays, the intellectual founder of public relations. This
short preface, detailing the conversation between the historian
Ewen and the then 99-year old Bernays at the latter's home
near Harvard University, dramatizes many of the themes in
Ewen's book. First, read the account of this interview, "Visiting
Edward Bernays," linked at this site advertising Ewen's
book.
http://www.bway.net/~drstu/contents.html
A number of themes surface in "Visiting" that are
addressed in a more substantial form in "Unseen Engineers."
Among these themes are:
. public relation's origins in the need of elites to manage
the transition from a traditional and aristocratic social
order to a democratic one
. public relations as the creation of realities, not images
or messages
. the recognition that PR is in effect peace-time propaganda
. public relations' need to interrupt the continuity of life
in order to produce a response desired by the client
. the alleged reactive and unthinking nature of the public,
and the consequent need of elites to "scientifically"
render the world outside into mental images for public use
Paul Rutherford's article addresses in a similar spirit a
particular genre of public relations: civic advocacy propaganda.
These are messages from public and private sector organizations
that are concerned to educate, to improve, and to otherwise
influence our views and behaviour as these relate to social
issues and public goods. Inspired by the activist state at
the time of what Rutherford calls the "disturbed hegemony"
of the 1960s, this propaganda-what we more frequently call
"social marketing," "advocacy communication"
or "public service announcements"-is accountable
to many of the same points Ewen identifies as typical of public
relations in general.
The key passage from Ewen's interview with Bernays unites
his argument with Rutherford's, and also gives us an important
question to answer. That passage is as follows:
"And there I was; the mystery still unsolved. Yet the
question remained, and remains, open. Things had uncannily
come to pass much as Bernays had described in his hypothetical
disquisition on the work of a PR practitioner, and one was
left to ponder whether there is any reality anymore, save
the reality of public relations? Magnified by my seductive
encounter with Edward Bernays, it is this question, and its
implications for contemporary life, which stands at the heart
of this book."
In an essay, answer the question that Ewen poses and Rutherford
echoes:
Is there a reality anymore, except for that created by public
relations?
Draw from what you believe relevant in the "Visiting
Edward Bernays" interview, the week 6 Powerpoint, the
readings by Ewen and Rutherford, and the week 6 unit notes.
Where possible, address those themes indicated above (or others
you think important) in your answer.
要求:
course:government, public policy and the law(political communication)
Words limited: 5-6pages, double space
grades: minisiam 18/20
advice on writing the answers
The general intention of this final exam is two-fold:
(i) to encourage you to think for yourselves, as is appropriate
to a
graduate school paper
(ii) to give you “real-world” problems to reflect on, and
in some cases,
real-world problems as articulated by important commentators
past and
present like Bernays and Sullivan
The questions relate to weeks 5-10 inclusive, representing
the last three
units of the course. There is also an open question option
indicated below.
A double-spaced 5-6 page limit for each question is suggested.
In your answer, it is important to (a) demonstrate your knowledge
of
relevant key concepts; (b) demonstrate your knowledge of the
relevant
reading(s), unit notes, and where relevant, other course materials;
and (c)
to write with style, verve, enthusiasm, and understanding.
Spelling and
grammar, needless to say, do matter. When using a key concept,
I suggest
you very briefly define it in your own words so as to show
me that you
understand the term.
On citation: Use the readings and unit notes as you would
a source in a
research paper. That is, if you are paraphrasing an idea from
the textbook
or unit notes, or want to quote a passage, offer the source
(an author from
the package, Black) plus a page number in ( ) at the end of
the sentence.
For example: “Segal relates ideas about technological utopia
to actual
developments in American society inspired by utopian writings”
(Segal,
p.45). I don’t need full APA citation or a works cited page
unless you’re
using sources that are not immediately part of the course.
题目与资料见附件
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