New Definition

Earlier this year, the Public Relations Society of America announced its new official definition of "public relations." This definition, which they are billing as "a modern definition for the new era of public relations," represents the result of a year-long effort in which a multitude of practitioners and scholars provided input into not only what the definition should be but also what concepts regarding human interaction it should speak to. Many suggestions were made. Finally, a public vote was taken and the following prevailed: "Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics."

Overall, I like it. The primary reason for this is because it speaks to the importance of long-term partnerships as a primary objective of any public relations effort. It has been my long-time belief that the establishment and maintenance of a sustained relationship between various publics or entities represents public relations at its best. People can and often do come together on a one-time or short-term basis. The challenge is to build a bridge that is so strong and encompassing that people develop a lasting commitment to either each other or to what they have both believe. The result is a solid partnership or collaboration. What began as an interaction turns into a bond.

One interesting aspect of this definition, however, is an omission of the word "ethics" or any reference to ethical behavior. In their announcement of the new definition, PRSA explained this was intentional. They said an overwhelming majority of those who contributed to the definition expressly insisted that "ethics" not be mentioned. Unfortunately, they did not provide an explanation. However, PRSA continues to insist that it remains firmly behind the value of ethical public relations. In fact, it announced plans to include ethics in a values statement about the definition of public relations. I hope so. When it comes to interaction and collaboration, strong ethics is the glue.