Public relations ethics and media law

The profession of Public Relations is shaped by society and the community. PR practitioners are expected to act responsibly as they are able to influence the mindsets of the public (Starck & Kruckeberg, 2003). The media is a powerful medium in reaching out to the public, and it can be drastic if people are convinced of misconstrued and inaccurate information.

PR practitioners act as the middleman between the company and the public, and serve to inform the mass about important information. Thus, transparency and accountability are important codes of conduct that a PR practitioner should have, to be successful in their role. Yet, these codes are in conflict with other vital codes of conduct, especially clients' confidentiality. There is a thin line between transparency and confidentiality, and PR practitioners have to be watchful of their words and actions, of face lawsuits for the revelation of secret information. Defamation and slander lawsuits are also common cases that PR practitioners can face if they interpret the meaning of what their client wishes to portray inaccurately or if they quoted the person inaccurately.

New media technologies serve to facilitate the transfer of information on the internet. People are now able to upload whatever they like, including articles, photos and videos onto the internet. Search engines like Bing, Google and Yahoo will then enable people to search for virtually anything they want. As long as the internet is accessible, information on it is susceptible to leaks and even security locks can be cracked and hacked into; nothing is secret on the internet. The internet also provides another platform for new online services like Facebook and Twitter, which increases connectivity and closes the gap between people living in different countries. Now, two people living at opposite ends of the Earth are able to talk and even see each other through video cameras using Skype.

Using the internet as a marketing and advertising medium, countries use various methods and techniques to convey the same message differently, according to the demands of the people, to better target their needs. For example, in Singapore, McDonalds has advertisments that emphasize on family and friends bonding as a sales strategy. While in Thailand, the only country in the world, the model of McDonalds has his hands clasped, which reflects respect, the customs of the Thais. This can be seen as a strategy to make McDonalds more acceptable to the Thais, to be able to attract more people to its shops.

With increased feminization, females are given rising chances to excel in their jobs, equivalent to those of males. This is also prevalent in the area of public relations. Females are capable to stronger interpersonal skills due to an innate nature to resolve problems and issues through communication. Hence, females can be better at transmitting information to others and developing stronger friendships with authorities. These aspects and qualities are important traits that a PR practitioner should have to be successful. Therefore, this shows that females can use their strengths in character to excel in their job and at their profession as a PR practitioner.


To better comprehend public relations, there is need to understand the underlying theories, and take out understanding of this topic from the phase of how things are done to the phase of making sense of things.

The first step to note would be the systems theory, indicating that "open systems are those that regularly interact with their environment, such as their audiences or publics, while closed systems are those that are isolated and do not interact with their environment (Sison, 2009). Cybernetics indicates that the systems need to adjust themselves according to feedback received from the audience to be effective. Requisite variety illustrates that companies are more adaptable if it consists of people with different viewpoints. Boundary spanning relates to what people, who are part of the company, do when they interact with other people. In the 21st century, with advancements in technology and communication, it is difficult to find companies that are isolated on its own. Companies have to find out their target consumers' demands and to be adaptable to any external influences. Critical thinking, over groupthink, is important for the company to remain competitive and creative in coming up with new innovative products to attract consumers. It is then up to the marketing and advertising team to sell the final product and try to capture as large of the market share as possible. For example, Apple has a team to constantly improve its existing product, from the Apple 3Gs to the Apple 4G, and has an advertising team to come up with a variety of methods of promote these items to the public.

Step two would be communication theories, like the information transmission model. According to Shannon and Weaver's model of communication, it indicates that the message from the first person to the next can be disrupted due to a noise source. Hence, what the second person understands may not be what the first person intends. Due to persuasion, attitude vis-a-vis behavior change, source credibility, two-step and multistep flow, emotional appeals, the coorientation theory, agenda setting and framing, the media is able to send a message to the audience more effectively. By understanding how information can be transmitted, and how the actual meaning of the initial message can be misinterpreted, PR personals can alter their marketing strategies when targeting the same product at different groups of consumers. Apple targets the IT savvy people by placing advertisments on various websites, including Facebook, and the masses by having posters in shopping malls and at bus stops.

Next, public relations theory will be covered. Some public relations theories include The Execllence theory, Grunig and Hunt's four models and the Situational theory of publics. The theories differ from each other, and illustrates different ways in which effective Public Relations can be achieved in each case.

The last step refers to rhetorical and interpretive perspectives, which indicates that public relations will be able to maintain their reputation and interpersonal relationships if they are able to understand and cater to the needs of their target audience. It is important for a company to have good reputation and establish good interpersonal relationships with the consumers and the media. For example, Apple offers one-to-one exchange for faulty products within one year of purchase, with no questions asked. Such actions enable Apple to retain their reliability and credibility, assuring people of the quality of Apple products.


Public relations has evolved over the years. Public relations used to be a tool for propaganda used in the World Wars and by Hitler in World War II. Hitler only published and reported articles and news that would be beneficial to him and his ideology. In such a manner, he was successful in brainwashing the peoples' minds. In many countries today, public relations serve as a bridge between the organisation and its clients and the public.

The role of public relations is different in various countries. For Singapore, government public relations still serves the purpose of propaganda to ensure economic and social stability. However, corporate public relations serve to transfer information and communicate between organisations and the public.

with love,
cookie biscuit.
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Public Relations Theory - introduction to the big ideas

Today, we went through strategies of planning to achieve a specific goal. Strategy refers to the process of planning to achieve a specific goal. For companies targeting the consumer market, they need to find out what their consumers demand in order to sell as much of their goods and services possible. An example would be Starbucks, who aims to sell as much coffee as possible by bringing in quality coffee beans. Understanding consumers can give the company an edge over its competitors.

Each company, although will have some obvious competitors, there are those that are not as apparent. The example provided by professor Tanya was on the cinema industry. Although Golden Village has obvious competitors like Cathy and Shaw, they also face competition from downloading software and programmes online, and video compact disc and digital video disc. These are some cheaper alternatives that consumers can opt for, if they do not wish to pay that much for a movie. To be able to emerge victorious and win over a large proportion of the audience pie, the company has to come up with innovative ideas to attract the audience. I feel that one of the selling points of watching a movie in the cinema is its high definition plasma screen as well as its clear, yet not deafening loud, sound system. Price, although affects a majority of consumers, is not a top-most factor when people understand that they are paying for quality service; when tickets are reasonably priced for the quantity and quality of the movie they are watching.

There are steps that serve as a guideline in preparing, implementing and evaluating a plan, starting with research, followed by analysis, goal setting, objectives, select people (sample unit), develop strategy, devising and implementing tactics, monitoring and lastly evaluation. These steps are not the golden rules and is not a must to be always abided, but i feel that with these steps of planning in mind, proposals would probably develop and flow more smoothly. No matter how detailed or great an initial plan seems, I believe that it can still be improved on. There is need to be able to adjust certain aspects as the plan is carried out, to ensure that the plan is on track, and be able to meet the company's objectives.

with love,
cookie biscuit.
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Introduction to Course - What is Public Relations?

Today, I attended my first Public Relations lesson with professor Tanya. We had a quick introduction to this module, which enabled me to better understand what was coming; for this topic, as well as what I would be facing if I were to enter this department in future.

Ground rules were set before getting properly started. And, as what most professionals expect, professor Tanya expects punctuality -- a virtue lacking in many Singaporeans. In the working society, I believe that punctuality is a must-have, as credibility and first impressions are of utmost importance. I may not have been punctual for all my past classes or appointments, but I will try to be, and not conform to the bad habits of the mass.

Albeit sketchy, most of us had a general idea of what Public Relations is about -- communicating and interacting with people, generally being a people-person. However, is this just a stereotypical point of view? That only people who have a high Emotional Quotient are better suited for this position and job? I do not think so, it is an advantage though to be able to communicate freely with anyone, anywhere at any time. I do have slight reserves when meeting people for the first time, but with a passion for a PR-related job, I believe that I will be able to overcome the odds and excel in my job.

The art of persuasion, this is what advertising and marketing is about; to win people to see and adopt your view or stand. An advert is only successful when people are convinced by what they see, and to act on what they believe in. So, what is the difference between advertising and marketing? The main difference is that you need to pay to advertise but not for marketing. Yet, marketing is five times more effective than advertising. Advertising or marketing, most importantly is that the product sells.

Professor Tanya presented a grey area for this module, giving us more space for creativity and to think out of the box. Such a chance is rarely given to students studying in Singapore, as most of what we have been studying are very theoretical and methodological. Even when I was taking Arts subjects at the Junior College level, like Literature and Geography, essays written were rarely subjective as teachers still expected some crucial points to be presented and methods of writing were taught and rigidly followed. "There is no right or wrong in an opinion, just how you look at it", with this in mind I will go ahead and do as my heart says for my assignments for this module.

with love,
cookie biscuit.
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