Revisiting The Oxymoron: A Theoretical Discussion On Public Interest And Public Relations

Abstract

The concept of public interest, which is used as a way for public relations to differentiate itself from propaganda or other negative connotations, is among the basic concepts utilized by public relations practitioners and academics working in the field of public relations. Compliments or criticisms of public relations are generally shaped by the discussion on whether public relations serve the public interest, although there is no direct reference to the concept. While mainstream approaches in public relations claim that public relations serve the public interest and the public interest is the raison d’être of public relations, critical approaches underline that public relations serve the market interest instead of the public interest. This study, which focuses on the public interest debates in the public relations literature with a theoretical discussion over the tobacco, alcohol, gambling, and confectionery industries, aims to examine the relation between public interest and public relations by opening the discussion on the axis of the concepts of dialogue, ethics, and democracy. In this context, the study claims that public relations cannot work the common good due to examples of the aforementioned industries that do not comply with the concept of public interest; however, public relations is a rhetorical instrument that makes corporations appear as if they serve the public interest.