Reviewer
Yeonsoo Kim, The University of Texas at Austin 

The Untold Power: Underrepresented Groups in Public Relations
Author: Melody T. Fisher
Business Expert Press, 2022
ISBN: 9781637422403

This book is a valuable resource for educators, students, and practitioners, providing information and insights into the contributions of members of underrepresented groups across public relations practices and academic discipline. The book explores how these individuals have contributed to the development of public relations and the challenges faced, under the broad framework of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I), through a chronological examination of the past, present, and future. 

Structure and Organization

The book is organized into six chapters and provides an overview of public relations pioneers of underrepresented racial and ethnic groups of the past and present, social movements using public relations strategies and tactics (especially those related to DE&I), and the challenges faced by these groups in public relations. The purpose of the chapter is provided at the beginning of each chapter, with background information related to the chapter that is especially helpful for readers less familiar with public relations. Each chapter then presents well-categorized content with sub-headings and concludes with a summary.

Chapter 1 begins by raising the issue of disproportionate focus and covers the contributions of underrepresented groups to public relations in academia and industry. The chapter sets out “to showcase those unsung heroes who have been quietly observed as they dismantled obstacles and sought equity in the field and in society” (p. 2). The author further introduces three main themes: the contributions of members of underrepresented groups, the challenges they faced, and the resources available. This chapter also provides an overview of the topics covered in each chapter. 

Although Chapter 2 is titled, “An Overview of Pioneers,” it focuses more on past activism, social movements for social justice, and equity using public relations strategies and tactics, such as media relations, special events, and alliances. Social movements and activisms that were important and significant to Black, Asian, and Native Indian communities (i.e., The Civil Rights Movement, Modern Farm Worker Movement, and the American Indian Movement) were detailed from a public relations perspective, along with historical contextual information, public relations emphases, strategies and tactics, and evaluations. This chapter, as the chapter title suggests, also touches on pioneers in underrepresented racial and ethnic groups who have achieved milestones in communication. 

Chapter 3 introduces the characteristics and achievements of pioneers who stood out in public relations as the first, and in some cases, the only person in their multicultural community. The professional pioneers featured include Mike Fernandez, David M. Garcia, Bill Imada, Lycia Maddocks, Debra A. Miller, Collin Price, Helen Shelton, and Patrice Tanaka, representing various career stages and public relations aspects in the industry. 

Similarly, Chapter 4 features four representative public relations educators from underrepresented groups who have been highly regarded for their contributions to the academic discipline and public relations pedagogy. The educator pioneers include Dr. Carolina Acosta-Alzuru, Dr. Rochelle Ford, Marilyn Kern-Foxworth, and Dr. Bey-Ling Sha. As the author explained, Chapters 3 and 4 are not exhaustive lists of professional and educator pioneers. The author attempts to document the relatively unknown pioneers of underrepresented groups that has the potential for expansion in the future. 

Chapter 5 takes a different approach by examining public relations campaigns cases conducted by underrepresented group of communicators targeting underrepresented racial and ethnic communities. This chapter begins with a brief introduction to the four-step model of public relations, helping readers to follow the presentation of the case. The author then introduces the DE&I-focused public relations campaign, “Identifying the Elephant in the Room: Critical Communications Strategies in the Face of Racism.” Along with the campaign case study, this chapter presents the concerns and challenges facing DE&I research and the responsibilities of educators and professionals in its advancement. While the previous chapters focused on the past, this chapter focuses on the present and discusses current challenges and solutions that professionals and educators face in effectively communicating with underrepresented publics and conducting DE&I-related research. 

Chapter 6 introduces professional organizations founded by, and for, underrepresented racial and ethnic persons and discusses the future of DE&I in public relations. In particular, the author emphasizes the role of education, industry efforts, and grassroots movements to advance DE&I. The chapter ends with a summary and review of the book.

Strengths and Weaknesses

This book tells the stories of pioneers who are relatively unknown and less celebrated in underrepresented groups and stays true to its purpose of filling the gap regarding their contributions in the history of public relations. In particular, the author’s conscious efforts to introduce pioneers, social movements, and campaigns of more diverse racial and ethnic groups (e.g., Asians and Native Americans) is striking and is one of the book’s great strengths. Since this book takes a chronological approach that looks at the past, present, and future, it takes a comprehensive look at the untold power of underrepresented groups in public relations. This book contains an important discourse on the contribution of these groups, which has been overlooked in existing textbooks; therefore, is an excellent supplement to an existing public relations curriculum. 

While important, the books has a couple of weaknesses. The title of the book is, “The Untold Power: Underrepresented Groups in Public Relations” and readers will expect it to focus on the story of the contributions by underrepresented groups. However, some chapters seem to diverge, delving more into the historical and social context, such as social movements and activism advocating for DE&I. These contexts, although enlightening, are not inherently tied to the contributions of underrepresented groups to the field of public relations. The expansive discussions on broad historical contexts need to be explicitly connected to the contributions of underrepresented groups in advancing DE&I in the field of public relations. This connection is essential to prevent readers from losing the thread in chapters that extensively cover the social and historical atmosphere.

Another weakness pertains to the presentation of the contents in the Profiles of Pioneers section. While the profiles offer interesting narratives, they often focus more on listing individual achievements, such as academic achievements or awards, rather than insightful stories about the real impact they made or exemplary public relations practices. In this sense, Chapters 3 and 4 can be strengthened with a less intensive focus on individual achievement and instead include a description of the impact those pioneers had on public relations practices, scholarship and detailed best practices. Finally, readers will be curious about how the people introduced in Chapters 2, 3, and 4 were selected as pioneers and through what process. Although the author briefly mentioned the explanation related to pioneer selection at the beginning of the book, a more convincing and detailed explanation would help readers and will help efforts to expand the list of underrepresented pioneers in the future. 

© Copyright 2024 AEJMC Public Relations Division

To cite this article: Kim, Yeonsoo. (2024). The Untold Power: Underrepresented Groups in Public Relations. [Review of the book The Untold Power: Underrepresented Groups in Public Relations].  Journal of Public Relations Education, 9(2), 105-112. https://journalofpreducation.com/?p=4089

Reviewer
Sarah Maben, Tarleton State University 

Cases in Public Relations: Translating Ethics into Action
Author: Brunner, B., & Hickerson, C.
Oxford University Press, 2019
ISBN: 9780190631383
https://global.oup.com/academic/product/cases-in-public-relations-9780190631383?cc=us&lang=en&#

In Cases in Public Relations: Translating Ethics into Action, Brunner and Hickerson collected 36 cases that highlight public relations scenarios from various industries and sectors. In the publisher’s description, Oxford Press writes that the book “presents the complexities and challenges of public relations in today’s ever-changing world” (Oxford University Press, n. d.). The 2019 book accomplishes this goal with cases that remain relevant to its readers even today despite a global pandemic and the advent of generative artificial intelligence.  

Structure and Organization

This case study text is divided into four sections and 13 chapters. In the first section, the authors include chapters on the case study method, ethical frameworks, and professional ethics codes. The brief chapter (Ch. 1) on the case study method will help students, especially those who have had a professor who uses a facilitator instructional style, which is typical of case study discussions. In the chapter, the authors ask students to prepare, question, and look forward to participating in the classroom dialog. The chapter also provides guiding questions students may outline before each course meeting to dissect the cases and organize their thoughts.

The second and third sections of the book contain the bulk of the text and address public relations functions and contexts. Functions include crisis communication, social media, and corporate social responsibility. Contexts focus on consumer and community relations, sports communication, health, government, international, nonprofit, and education. A scant fourth section looks toward the future of public relations. 

Each chapter begins with learning outcomes, definitions, and a three-to-four-page introduction to the main topic approached by the subsequent cases. For example, the chapter on corporate social responsibility (Ch. 5) leads with a refresher about CSR before launching into cases about Patagonia, Coca-Cola, Belk, and Harris Corporation. Each case is followed by a handful of discussion questions. Chapters employ three to four cases to help readers grapple with decision-making around a public relations context or function. 

Contribution to Public Relations Education

The text provides educators with a curated set of cases reflective of today’s public relations landscape. Cobbling together cases can be tedious, especially when trying to represent diverse voices, public relations scenarios, and both positive and negative outcomes. The collection of cases and their authors are diverse. The authors, a mix of academics, accredited practitioners, and even a former NFL player, reveal cases from primary research, personal connections, and current events. 

The style of the book lends itself to both new and more experienced students. For first and second-year public relations students, it offers a survey of public relations in concrete cases. Upper-level students could use the cases as discussion starters, and launch into deeper conversations with instructor facilitation and additional readings and resources. Partnered with primary sources and seminal readings, graduate students could tie the more practical cases with theoretical underpinnings.

Strengths and Weaknesses

A strength of the book is the applicability of cases. While cases about current events tend to age quickly, the topics are broad enough for today’s readers to make connections. The chapter (Ch. 10 – Government Relations) about Hurricane Sandy remains applicable as a study for more recent and future natural disasters. Cases also highlight positive examples where readers can see how a stronger decision is made. The examples may not have the “can’t look away from a train wreck” appeal, but illustrate that organizations can and are making ethical decisions. Cases reflect brands readers will recognize and then a few more regional cases, where a reader will easily connect with a similar organization like a family-run grocery chain. Cases are brief at about six pages, making it easy for educators to arrange the curriculum in chunks. 

Single cases can be licensed by the publisher. While the bulk of cases is strong, the number and variety give instructors room to curate the ones they value most within the text. For example, a sports communication professor may only want the chapter devoted to sports communication. For upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses, the text could be a companion to more theoretical and seminal works. Cases and campaigns courses would benefit from the cases in part or whole, or the text would serve well as a complementary text in a communication ethics course. 

What looks to be an effort to create bite-size cases left some concepts needing additional resourcing and direction from an instructor. A handful of cases included appendices with valuable information. For other cases, readers may need to scour the web for key artifacts mentioned in the scenario. More space has been devoted to public relations concepts than ethical philosophies. Readers will require additional support for ethical frameworks. For example, virtue ethics receives two paragraphs, and communitarianism is largely overlooked. Some chapters have overt discussions of how the case connects to codes of ethics and ethical principles, and others require facilitation and scaffolding to lead novice public relations practitioners to major takeaways. This book represents the kind of text where student reactions in the first semester will drive how cases are incorporated in the next semester. 

Cases in Public Relations: Translating Ethics into Action provides future PR practitioners with a sampling of the decisions they may face in their careers. The text is well-balanced on positive and negative cases, types of organizations, and PR functions and contexts, enabling ample options for students and educators to discuss ethics in action. 

References

Oxford University Press. (n. d.) https://global.oup.com/academic/product/cases-in-public-relations-9780190631383?cc=us&lang=en&#

© Copyright 2024 AEJMC Public Relations Division

To cite this article: Maben, Sarah. (2024). Cases in Public Relations: Translating Ethics into Action. [Review of the book Cases in Public Relations: Translating Ethics into Action].  Journal of Public Relations Education, 9(2), 100-104. https://journalofpreducation.com/?p=4094