The Responsibility of Public Relations

Julia Batoki

jb478621@ohio.edu

What is Public Relations?

Public relations is an organization set up by a company whose purpose is to create a positive image of said company. They place a high emphasis on building strong relationships with the public and the organization that they work for. In order to accomplish this, PR uses communication methods and means to manage and organize information regarding their company. This can include speeches, press releases, dealing with other companies, and focusing on the public’s opinion. 

According to FeeDough, public relations adds trust to the company from the public. Having PR increases credibility due to its position in being a third party. Because of this, the public views PR as more trustworthy than the advertising company. 

Responsibilities of PR

Public relation departments wear a lot of hats for the people that they work for. They primarily are in charge of addressing the public in a beneficial way for both parties. They compile information and present in a professional manner. This can include social media, interviews, and more. Additionally, public relations can handle press releases, new product releases, and predict the public's reactions towards new ads, products, and actions made by the company.

Photo Source: Alpha Public Relations

Public Relations and Ethics:

In order for public relations to have an ethical platform to stand on, and for them to continue to gather trust from the public’s eye, they must follow a set of ethics. A major point is accountability. PR professionals must hold respective parties responsible for their actions. Explained, this means that cover-ups and deceit are heavily discouraged and looked down upon. 

Additionally, public relations must have specific roles. Each role has various responsibilities. Employees must be aware of the actions of their coworkers, CEO’s must understand the companies that they represent, and transparency and honesty are important. This relates to accountability and credibility. Following ethics and having high standards for the information that they are releasing is essential in public relations. 

Roles of PR

According to The Daily MBA, there are many roles of public relation professionals. First, they are in charge of building the reputation for the company that they work for. They are the face that is presented to the public. Also, PR is responsible for crafting and shaping messages for their audiences.

Public relation departments are held to high standards because of this. Sharing information to various audiences is important. As a society, we need to have a level of trust in the information we are receiving as well as the company presenting it. The roles that public relation professionals play follow a code of ethics, which reinforces our trust in it. Solely believing the word of a company whose main goal is for themselves, is exceedingly difficult. Having PR firms, who are obligated to live up to specific ethics and honesty aids in building that trust.