Introduction -- Does society need public relations? -- Media use and the term "PR" -- Criticisms of public relations -- Popular press attacks on public relations -- Common themes in critiques of public relations -- Popular press books describing the importance of public relations -- Professional and academic defenses of public relations -- The profession : the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) -- Academics defend the practice -- Public relations and the marketplace of ideas -- Re-focusing public relations -- Conclusion -- Ethical implications of public relations -- What is public communication? -- Ethical responsibilities of PR as a form of public communication -- Ethical perspectives -- Professional associations and ethics -- The boundary-spanning role of the PR professional -- Tensions for PR practitioners -- Power relationships -- The power of PR professionals in the corporation -- A postmodern perspective on PR -- Conclusion.

Who practices public relations? -- Corporate-centric histories of public relations -- Antagonistic views of corporations and activists -- Power and marginalization -- First reform era : abolitionists and temperance -- Public relations aspect -- Second reform era : the muckrakers -- Public relations aspect -- Saul Alinsky : activism in the 1960s -- Public relations aspect -- Internet activism -- Public relations aspect -- Labor unions and public relations -- Public relations aspect -- Conclusion -- Public relations influences society -- Marketplace of ideas -- Issues management : a framework of effects on public policy -- EPA bans Alar under pressure -- AMA's objection to national health insurance -- Local battles : retail and health care -- Shaping public behavior -- Keep America beautiful -- Online sexual exploitation -- Ready.gov : preparing for disasters -- Germany and social change -- Nazi anti-Semitic communication -- Nazi anti-tobacco campaign -- Mixing social and policy changes : direct-to-consumer advertising and big pharm -- Conclusion.

Global effects of public relations -- Public diplomacy : government public relations goes global -- Private voluntary organizations : activism goes global -- Corporations : increased demands from a global network of relationships -- Expectation gap complications -- Conclusion -- Where we have been -- References -- Index.