Journals Resume :  What is the role of public relation theory? and What should public relations theory do, practically speaking?

            In this resume, I would like to summarize two journals from Emerald Publishing. The first journal entitle, What is the role of public relation theory? Written by Reginald Watts. Another journal entitle, What should public relations theory do, practically speaking? Written by George Cheney and Lars Thøger Christensen. Reginald Watts’ Journal tends to explain whether the Public Relation theory is important or not, and how this Public Relation theory role. In other hand, George Cheney and Lars Thonger Christensen writing the journal in the purpose of discussing the issues on Public Relation theory and practice. Instead of that these journals are focusing in the same field, Public Relation.

            The Journal entitle, What is the role of public relation theory? explaining how and why we need Public Relation theory. He said that we need to use theory on doing public relation to make public relation activities become accurate, and incredible then it wouldn’t be easily be broken since it is used theory which based on research. What Reginald Watt did by making Public Relation theory had ever hesitated by one of senior Public Relation practitioner because Public Relation activity is about practice that can only be understood by practicing but as the time goes by this statement was wronged. Public Relation theory become popular, even the theory is used for any disciplines not only in Public Relation field.  Reginald Watt through this journal tried to tell that the role of public relation is not only for public relation field but also for another disciplines such as advertisement, law, etc.

            What should public relations theory do, practically speaking? is a journal which explain us about the issues that happened in Public Relation activity (both practical and theoretical). George Cheney and Lars Thøger Christensen through the journal tell us about on how the image of Public Relation was biased by World War II  (For further info about the history of Public relation, you can watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-FGK43DVw8 ) and until Public Relation theory was used in another disciplines. This journal answers the issue of Public Relations by summarize it into 7 questions below:

(Source : (Cheney & Chirstensen, 2006)

In the point of number 7, the journal make Pubic Relations to be more sensitive or caring the social issues. Then the example of that is MTVswitch program. This program was made by TV Station MTV, as the largest TV network, with the audiences 1.5 billion people in more than 150 countries decided to make climate change issues as the priority program. MTV made a campaign on June 2007. Then the fact there are many International company endorse this program and also corporate with MTV. (Baskin, Lattimore, Heiman, & Toth, 2010). (You can watch one of MTVswitch program, The Green Song 2008 in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg0QminAPMM )

            From those journals we can understand the path of Public Relation from the very beginning that have contradicts (due to the practical which is not that right, like Barnum did, Propaganda, etc.) until now Public Relation theories have improved a lot even the principle used for another disciplines.

Bibliography

Baskin, O., Lattimore, D., Heiman, S. T., & Toth, E. L. (2010). Public Relations Profesi dan Praktik. In O. Baskin, D. Lattimore, S. T. Heiman, & E. L. Toth, Public Relations Profesi dan Praktik (p. 7). Jakarta: Salemba Humanika.

Cheney, G., & Chirstensen, L. T. (2006). What should public relations do, practically speaking? Emerald, 100-102.

Watts, R. (2006). What is the role of public relation theory. Emerald, 103-106.

Ananda Nibras Khairunnisa

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