ABSTRACT
The focus of this essay will be the field of international public relations, i.e. the problem of image cultivation of nations or international organizations (e.g. United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Greenpeace, Amnesty International, World Wildlife Fund, etc.). Up to now most research has been done concerning images of nations. Taking the quantity of publications as an indicator, it is clear that the body of research on international organizations and the media is an area that still has large gaps. But even the relationship between news media and images of nations is not well researched, for this very reason the following discussion cannot claim to be complete. The main reason for this gap in research can be seen in the often highly sophisticated methods of states to influence world opinion, in which among others public relations agencies and even the secret services can play a decisive role in activities that very often take place far from the light of day (Kunczik, 1997). Public relations is also the art of camouflaging and deceiving, successful PR also means above all that the target groups (those to be influenced) do not notice that they have become the “victims” of a PR activity.
