scholarly journals Contemporary Publics, Twitter and the Story of PR: Exploring Corporate Interventions to Promote “Clean Coal” in Australia

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin Demetrious
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Coal Industry ◽  
Willingness To Accept ◽  
Emissions Reduction ◽  
Energy Usage ◽  
Clean Coal ◽  
Public Debates ◽  
Key Policy

Peabody Energy’s Advanced Energy for Life (AEFL) comprehensive global public relations (PR) campaign promoted the idea of clean coal. It is part of a series of efforts deployed by the coal industry since the 1980s to influence the public’s willingness to accept or tolerate its processes and products. This paper will develop a greater understanding of how contemporary publics in a 21st century context react when targeted by the global PR industry. Specifically, it looks at the response to the AEFL campaign in Australia and in particular examines Twitter provocations from January 2014 to January 2016. In doing so, this paper contributes to our understanding of how communicative dynamics such as Twitter and PR may affect public debates. This is critical to helping resolve key policy settings around future energy usage and emissions reduction.

scholarly journals ‘Energy wars’: Global PR and public debate in the 21st century

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin Demetrious
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Public Debate ◽  
Coal Industry ◽  
Clean Coal ◽  
The Public ◽  
Global Campaign ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
Twitter Activity

‘Hashtags’, ‘trending topics’, ‘mentions’ ‘likes, ‘retweets’: the 21st century is distinctive for a range of new communication technologies, social practices and discourses that have framed public debate as “authentic”, “participatory”, “empowering” and “organic”. In this article, I explore a 21st century public relations (PR) campaign that is promoting neoliberal “solutions” to complex social and environmental problems, namely Burson-Marsteller’s 2014 campaign for coal industry client, Peabody Energy. The ‘Advanced Energy for Life’ (AEFL) ‘comprehensive global campaign’ to promote the idea of ‘clean coal’ in the alleviation of ‘energy poverty’ is but one in a succession of campaigns deployed by the coal industry since the 1980s. This article examines the reception of the AEFL campaign in Australia from January 2014 to March 2017. In doing so, it traces the movement of campaign tropes in the public sphere as well as prominent Twitter activity. It asks what purpose did the tropes serve and how they propelled debate. It also asks if resistance on Twitter can disrupt the ‘long period of suspended animation’ in public debate on energy policy. In tackling these questions with a critical lens, it aims to develop a greater understanding of the influence of global PR campaigns such as Peabody’s AEFL in public debate in contemporary settings.

“Preamble” to a Constitution for New Confederation of European nations: text and context

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-55
Author(s):  
DAVID ENGELS ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Development ◽  
Middle Ages ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Political Action ◽  
Official Position ◽  
Political Program ◽  
History Of ◽  
Key Policy ◽  
Looking Back ◽  
The Eu

The idea of protecting the European essence from collapse due to modern challenges (migration, terrorism, tensions between the EU and Asia, threats from the Middle East, discord in relations with Russia) is not new and has been discussed many times by many researchers. The author offers his solution for these and many other challenges. His vision of united Europe is offered in the preamble to the Constitution of a new confederation of European nations. This text is not an official position for political action or propaganda. This message is necessary to broaden the horizons for those Europeans who are accustomed to living for the sake of modern realities, without looking back at the great past of Europe. The author sees the solution to the impending challenges of our time in the history of European states, their economic and social development. The author proposes to Europe - if it wants to survive in the 21st century as a civilization, it needs to return to historical values and traditions that shaped it since the Middle Ages, and moreover, sharply reduce Brussels’ tendency towards centralism. Wherein a close partnership should be maintained between European countries in key policy areas. The proposed preamble appears to be a unifying political program that can act as gathering point for politicians and citizens with different views.

scholarly journals AI cheerleaders: Public relations, neoliberalism and artificial intelligence

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clea Bourne
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Political Economy ◽  
Public Relations ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Common Sense ◽  
Growth Strategies ◽  
Corporate World ◽  
National Competitiveness ◽  
Neoliberal Capitalism ◽  
Communications Theory

Public relations’ (PR) professional habitus is defined by a relentless focus on optimism and futurity. This professional habitus renders PR indispensable to the corporate world after crisis, when new, potentially controversial, growth strategies must be sold-in to stakeholders. This article argues that PR’s professional habitus is heavily influenced by neoliberalism, an ideology which ‘confidently identifies itself with the future’. The discussion is timely, as 21st-century neoliberal capitalism becomes redefined by artificial intelligence (AI). The article combines PR theory, communications theory and political economy to consider the changing shape of neoliberal capitalism, as AI becomes naturalised as ‘common sense’ and a ‘public good’. The article explores how PR supports AI discourses, including promoting AI in national competitiveness and promoting ‘friendly’ AI to consumers, while promoting Internet inequalities. The article concludes that the PR profession’s myopia regarding the implications of promoting AI and neoliberalism is shaped by poor levels of diversity in the PR profession.

scholarly journals A liquid profession: An ecological approach to the theory and knowledge that underpin the practice of public relations

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 333-351
Author(s):  
Sarah Bowman ◽  
Jane Hendy
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Ecological Approach ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Theoretical Knowledge ◽  
Functional Skills ◽  
Know How ◽  
Zygmunt Bauman ◽  
Liquid Modernity

This is a conceptual essay that explores the concept of knowledge as it relates to public relations (PR). It suggests an ecological knowledge architecture as a lens through which to understand the theories and concepts that support practice. It does so by drawing on the work of Zygmunt Bauman and his reflections on liquid modernity to inform and shape thinking and uses it as a thread to help synthesise scholarship from knowledge, competency and career scholarship and debates around professionalisation. It argues that by subdividing knowledge into explanatory, interventionist and practice principles greater clarity can be given to the know-how (functional skills) and know-that (theoretical knowledge) of PR. In addition, by overlaying a postmodernist and liquid concept to this tripartite division of knowledge, PR can be well placed to take advantage of the change in careers and capabilities necessary for work in the 21st century.

scholarly journals PUBLIC RELATIONS IN LATVIA AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 21ST CENTURY: SUPPORTING FUNCTION OF THE ORGANIZATION’S MANAGEMENT AND / OR MARKETING

2010 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 301
Author(s):  
Inga Pūre
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Supporting Function ◽  
Public Relations Practitioners ◽  
Limited Length ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Management Functions ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Insight Into

Public Relations (PR) in Latvia is a new cross - disciplinary branch, the beginning of which dates back to the gaining of independence. It has rapidly developed during the last twenty years. The interpretation of Public Relations though is still problematic. A lot of heads of establishments do not realize the importance of Public Relations in the development of enterprises. They do not see the difference between Public Relations and marketing. Public Relations is often viewed as a marketing supporting function. The aim of the article is to show the role of Public Relations as one of the essential management functions, explain and analyse the relationship between Public Relations and marketing, as well as to find the reason for the scarcity of the insight into what Public Relations is and offer the solution to the problem in regard to the situation in Latvia. The article offers analysis of the facts obtained from 25 detailed interviews with leading Public Relations practitioners and theoreticians as well as the analysis of the theoretical literature and other sources. All interviews could not be viewed in the article because of its limited length.

scholarly journals The End of Ombudsmen? 21st-Century Journalism and Reader Representatives

2018 ◽  
Vol 96 (1) ◽  
pp. 288-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Ferrucci
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Public Relations ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Textual Analysis ◽  
New York Times ◽  
The New York Times ◽  
News Organizations

In May 2017, the New York Times announced it would eliminate its public editor position, something a number of news organizations have done recently. Using the theory of metajournalistic discourse and textual analysis as a methodology, this study examines how actors within or on the boundaries of journalism reacted to the news and defined the ombudsman position. The data illustrated that today’s public editor should be a watchdog, perform public relations functions, be a conduit between readers and a newsroom, and build trust with readership. Finally, the author then argues the merit of the position in today’s journalism industry.

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