Public relations education from an editor’s perspective Available to Purchase

This paper discusses public relations (PR) practice from the perspective of a former editor and current senior editors in the UK to provoke a debate on PR education, particularly as it prepares intending practitioners for work in media relations and, more broadly, careers in PR. The main issues and concepts raised in the paper relate to trust, ethics and the development of PR as a strategic function. The paper discusses the PR programme in the department of journalism at the University of Central Lancashire in the UK. The discussion focuses on the need to shift the emphasis in PR education to become more ethical and strategic without discrediting the continued need for tactical career preparation and good press relations.