ABSTRACT
For more than a century, public relations practitioners-especially those in the United States-have discussed public relations as a professional practice. Robust dialogue, innovative thinking, and hurt feelings characterize this playing field of ideas. About mid-20th century, academics began to weigh in on the discussion, and the concept of dialogue slowly emerged as a defining theme for the study and practice of public relations. The past 3 decades witnessed a robust debate of the ethical standards and societal role of public relations. Now, some academics feature “the public” and “community” as defining paradigms, as well as “symmetry.”
