Rhetorical and Critical Approaches to Public Relations

This volume illustrates the application of rhetorical theory and critical perspectives to explain public relations practices. It provides a systematic and coherent statement of the crucial guidelines and philosophical underpinnings of public relations. Rhetorical and Critical Approaches to Public Relations II addresses the rhetorical/critical tradition’s contribution to the definition of public relations and PR practice; explores the role of PR in creating shared meaning in support of publicity and promotional organizational efforts; considers the tradition's contributions to risk, crisis, and issues dimensions of public relations; and highlights ethics, character, and responsible advocacy. It uses a rhetorical lens to provide practitioners with a sense of how their PR campaigns make a contribution to the organizational bottom line.

Introduction by Robert Heath

Section 1: Rhetorical Heritage and Critical Tradition

1. The Rhetorical Tradition: Wrangle in the Market: Robert L. Heath

2. The Case for Pluralistic Studies of Public Relations: Rhetorical, Critical, and Excellence Perspectives : Elizabeth L. Toth

3. Theoretical Black Holes: A Partial A to Z of Missing Critical Thought in Public Relations: David McKie

4. Civil Society as a Rhetorical Public Relations Process: Maureen Taylor

5. Perspectives on Public Relations History: Ron Pearson

6. Feminist Criticism in Public Relations: How Gender Can Impact Public Relations Texts and Contexts: Linda Aldoory

Section 2: Creating Shared Meaning through Ethical Public Relations Promotion and Publicity

7. Public Relations and the Strategic Use of Transparency - Consistency, Hypocrisy and Corporate Change: Lars Thoger Christensen and Roy Langer

8. 756*: The Legitimacy of a Baseball Number: Josh Boyd

9. The Devil in Disguise: Voixx, Drug Safety and the FDA: Jane Stuart Baker, Charles Conrad, Chris Cudahy and Jennifer Willyard

10. Activist Public Relations: A Case Study of Frederick Douglass' "Fourth of July Address": Robert L. Heath and Damion Waymer

11. Connecting Organizations and Their Employee Publics: The Rhetorical Analysis of Employee-Organization Relationships (EOR): Damion Waymer and Lan Ni

Section 3: Activism, Issues, Crisis and Risk: Rhetorical Heavy Lifting

12. Crisis, Crisis Communication, Reputation, and Rhetoric: W. Timothy Coombs

13. Dialogue, Discourse Ethics, and Disney: Rebecca J. Meisenbach & Sarah Bonewits Feldner

14. Secret Persuaders: Ethical and Rhetorical Perspectives on the Use of Public Relations Front Groups: Michael J. Palenchar and Kathy R. Fitzpatrick

15. Inter-Organizational Crisis Communication: Exploring Source and Stakeholder Communication in the Roman Catholic Clergy Sex Abuse Case: Suzanne Boys

Section 4: Character, Ethics, and Legitimacy in the Practice of Public Relations

16. Character, Ethics and Legitimacy in the Practice of Public Relations: John W. Hill and Arthur Page: Karen Miller Russell

17. Send Out a Posse: Outlaw Discourse As Postmodern Rhetoric: Josh Boyd and Sarah Hagedorn VanSlette

18. Documentary as Activist Medium: The Wal-Mart Movie: Ashli Quesinberry Stokes and Rachel Holloway

19. Good Environmental Citizens? The Green Rhetoric of Corporate Social Responsibility: Øyvind Ihlen