Postmodern Values in Public Relations

A Greater Means to the Greater Good: Ethical Guidelines to Meet Social Movement Organization Advocacy Challenges

“…However, this perspective has been critiqued for being idealistic in overlooking power differentials preventing equal compromise or fair dealings between powerful organizations and less powerful publics (Holtzhausen, 2000;Roper, 2005). Holtzhausen argued that the two-way symmetrical model is too narrowly defined as an organizational meta-narrative and does not fully take into account the broader socio-political context in which PR operates.…”

“…Holtzhausen argued that the two-way symmetrical model is too narrowly defined as an organizational meta-narrative and does not fully take into account the broader socio-political context in which PR operates. Because PR scholarship often ignores activist organizations, Holtzhausen (2000) alleged that PR theory largely exists to support the maintenance of hegemonic power structures. While activists are often portrayed as trouble-makers, as "the real voices of democracy" (p. 100), they do not deserve for scholars to portray them as the enemies of social institutions.…”

“…Public relations literature provides only limited guidance to social movement practitioners, as it mainly advises corporate or mainstream organization on how to deal with activist groups as a stakeholder rather than coming from the SMO's perspective (Holtzhausen, 2000;Smith & Ferguson, 2001). On the other hand, while Alinsky's Rules for Radicals (1971) did address the real communications challenges and balance of power issues faced by SMOs, many might critique the author's brand of situational ethics as weighing too heavily on utilitarianism.…”

“…Holtzhausen (2000) noted the need to distinguish activist groups from NPOs that are frequently discussed in PR literature, as the latter are more closely aligned with dominant power structures, such as the corporations who largely fund them. While SMOs and NPOs both share in struggling for financial resources, the more mainstream an organization is and the less it challenges the status quo power structures, the easier it is to obtain funding and widespread support.…”

O mosaico da avaliação em Relações Públicas

“…Alguns desses estudiosos abraçam o pós-modernismo e procuram dar um caráter ativista para as Relações Públicas (Holtzhausen, 2000). Dentro dessa abordagem, a eficácia é determinada pela extensão com que as Relações Públicas oferecem oportunidades para grupos marginalizados ou menos poderosos para se expressarem e impactarem as decisões das coalizões dominantes das organizações.…”