Category Archives: Volume 10

Journal of Public Relations Education, Vol. 10, Issue 3

Letter from the Editor

Adrienne A. Wallace
Grand Valley State University
Editor-in-Chief
Journal of Public Relations Education
Email: wallacad@gvsu.edu

As we present the latest issue of the Journal of Public Relations Educator, a common theme emerges across the contributions: the critical role of evolving pedagogical practices in equipping public relations students to meet contemporary challenges. This issue underscores the field’s pressing need to adapt and innovate in response to societal, technological, and ethical transformations often, and lately, in a highly charged political environment.

Several articles emphasize the importance of experiential learning as a cornerstone of public relations education. The study on the PRSSA Bateman Case Study Competition explores how such initiatives can provide students with practical, hands-on experiences that align with industry expectations while integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) considerations. Similarly, the teaching brief on group work in research methods courses addresses the persistent challenges of collaboration in post-pandemic classrooms, offering motivational strategies to foster engagement and equitable participation.

The themes of ethics and critical thinking are equally prominent. One article delves into the skillsets required for managing (mis/dis)information, stressing the ethical responsibilities of PR professionals in navigating the post-truth era. This contribution highlights the importance of incorporating ethics into curricula and suggests practical strategies for combating disinformation through transparency and proactive communication. Another piece introduces moral entrepreneurship as a pedagogical framework, encouraging educators to integrate activism and ethical leadership into the curriculum to prepare students for roles as change agents in a rapidly evolving field.

Finally, this issue addresses student autonomy and privacy, exploring how educators can respect privacy boundaries while leveraging digital tools for learning. This teaching brief reflects on the balance between fostering critical digital literacy and maintaining ethical standards in the classroom, showcasing innovative assignments that empower students to navigate the digital landscape responsibly.

Through these diverse yet interconnected discussions, this issue reaffirms the transformative potential of public relations education when it embraces innovation, ethical rigor, and inclusivity. As educators, researchers, and practitioners, we have a shared responsibility to continue evolving our practices to better serve our students and society. Our educators in this issue once again have effectively transformed wicked problems into practical and professional solutions. I’m so proud of our work at JPRE, and I hope these scholars inspire your practice.

Thank you for a great first year working with an incredible volunteer team to elevate PR pedagogy research to its deserved prominence. Our appreciation goes out to the Editorial Review Board, the Past Editors Council, as well as our beloved sponsors, the Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication and the Stan Richards School of Advertising & Public Relations – Moody College at the University of Texas at Austin.

I hope a restful break is upon you and the new year brings you joy.

Adrienne A. Wallace
Editor-in-Chief

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Letter from the Editor
Adrienne A. Wallace

ARTICLES

Identifying (Mis/Dis)Information Skills: The Need for Educating and Training a Holistic PR Professional
Courtney D. Boman, Laura L. Lemon, LaTonya J. Taylor, and Matthew S. VanDyke

Leveling the Playing Field: Fostering Student Success in the PRSSA Bateman Case Study Competition
Amanda J. Weed, Adrienne A. Wallace, Betsy Emmons, & Alisa Agozzino

Moral Entrepreneurship as a Framework for Teaching Public Relations and Activism: University Educators’ Perspectives
Elina Erzikova

TEACHING BRIEFS/GIFTS

When Group Work isn’t Dream Work: Insights to Enhance Students’ Active Participation in Group Projects After the COVID-19 Era
EunHae (Grace) Park

Respecting Students’ Privacy Boundaries and Media Use Preferences while Teaching with Online Digital Tools
Corinne Dalelio

BOOK REVIEWS

Paradox in Public Relations: A Contrarian Critique of Theory and Practice
Burton St. John III

The Illustrated Guide to the Content Analysis Research Project
Laura Willis

Read the Full Issue:

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Identifying (Mis/Dis)Information Skills: The Need for Educating and Training a Holistic PR Professional

Editorial Record: Submitted October 5, 2023. Revised February 19, 2024 and May 1, 2024. Accepted June 16, 2024.

Authors

Courtney D. Boman
Assistant Professor
University of Alabama
Alabama, USA
Email: boman@apr.ua.edu

Laura L. Lemon
Associate Professor
University of Alabama
Alabama, USA
Email: lemon@apr.ua.edu

LaTonya J. Taylor
Doctoral Student
University of Alabama
Alabama, USA
Email: ltaylor12@crimson.ua.edu

Matthew S. VanDyke
Associate Professor
University of Alabama
Alabama, USA
Email: vandyke@apr.ua.edu

ABSTRACT

In the digital age, public relations professionals play a vital role in managing information, particularly (mis/dis)information. Understanding the ethical implications and resources needed to navigate (mis/dis)information is crucial. This study explores PR professionals’ perceptions of ethical education and the skills and resources required to address (mis/dis)information. In-depth interviews with professionals reveal insights for better preparing the next generation of PR professionals to navigate the post-truth era effectively. These findings shed light on the multifaceted skill set needed by PR professionals and the essential role of both informal and formal resources in preparing them to navigate (mis/dis)information effectively. Recommendations for education emphasize experiential learning, ethics-focused content, and readily available online resources.

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Leveling the Playing Field: Fostering Student Success in the PRSSA Bateman Case Study Competition

Editorial Record: Submitted May 15, 2023. Revised November 29, 2023. Accepted
December 18, 2023 by past Editor-in Chief Pamela Bourland-Davis.

Amanda J. Weed
Associate Professor
Kennesaw State University
Georgia, USA
Email: aweed2@kennesaw.edu

Adrienne A. Wallace
Associate Professor
Grand Valley State University
Michigan, USA
Email: wallacad@gvsu.edu

Betsy Emmons
Associate Professor
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Nebraska, USA
Email: eemmons3@unl.edu

Alisa Agozzino
Associate Professor
Ohio Northern University
Ohio, USA
Email: a-agozzino@onu.edu

ABSTRACT

This mixed-method study provides the first known scholarly research specifically about the PRSSA Bateman Case Study Competition. Through triangulation of data from a survey, focus groups, and public data analysis, the authors explored the benefits and challenges of Bateman as an experiential learning program in public relations education. While promoted by the PRSSA organization as “the premier national case study competition for public relations students” (PRSSA, n.d.), research insights indicate that Bateman falls short in meeting students’ educational needs, which is reflected in a 41.7% decrease in competition entries since 2018. Study findings provide support for several research-based recommendations to improve competition practices related to the competition timeline, experiential learning outcomes, organizational communication, judging practices, and support for diversity, equity, and inclusion of Bateman student teams.

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Moral Entrepreneurship as a Framework for Teaching Public Relations and Activism: University Educators’ Perspectives

Editorial Record: Submitted May 2, 2024. Revised June 10, 2024. Accepted November
20, 2024.

Elina Erzikova
Professor
Central Michigan University
Michigan, USA
Email: erzik1e@cmich.edu

ABSTRACT

This study explored public relations educators’ perceptions of incorporating the concept of moral entrepreneurship, defined as the process of establishing new ethical norms to address societal issues, into public relations curricula. Analysis of 25 interviews with educators from diverse backgrounds showed a generally positive stance toward incorporating moral entrepreneurship, as it aligns with public relations education’s goal of cultivating ethically conscious change agents. Educators emphasized that teaching moral entrepreneurship could occur across various courses and pedagogical strategies, including discussions, debates, and simulations. However, challenges were identified, particularly in overcoming historical resistance to activism within public relations and the potential hesitance of faculty to embrace curriculum changes. Concerns about academic freedom and administrative influence also emerged as significant barriers. The study underscores the need for collective advocacy and collaboration to successfully implement moral entrepreneurship in public relations education.

Funding for this study was provided by a grant from Central Michigan University.

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Respecting Students’ Privacy Boundaries and Media Use Preferences while Teaching with Online Digital Tools

Editorial Record: Submitted Record May 28, 2024. Accepted July 26, 2024.

Corinne Dalelio
Associate Professor
Coastal Carolina University
South Carolina, USA
Email: cdalelio@coastal.edu

ABSTRACT

Course requirements involving submissions on publicly viewable websites have the potential to cross or violate privacy boundaries. Building on Petronio’s Communication Privacy Management Theory, I reflect on these challenges and the ways that I have found to give students choices and control over both their uses and personal information, and offer an example of such strategies through assignments I use in teaching concepts related to digital literacy, which I call “Online Activity Journals.”

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Paradox in Public Relations: A Contrarian Critique of Theory and Practice

Reviewer

Burton St. John III, University of Colorado-Boulder

Author: Kevin L. Stoker
Publisher: Routledge, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-138-67194-2
Number of pages: 172
https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315616650

In my over 30 years of professional involvement with public relations as both a practitioner and then an academic, one thing that has stood out is the continual drive for public relations to “prove” itself as a meaningful contributing force to clients, society, and the people who work within the field. This has always struck me as slightly odd – that is, discourse about similar fields like marketing, advertising, and journalism has simply not hit such a chord of desperation. Relatedly, Kevin L. Stoker, a professor and director of the Hank Greenspun School of Journalism and Media Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, provides a significant insight: public relations’ drive to assert its value operates within paradox. That is, there is always a contravening element to what public relations says it does. When it claims it helps build relationships between organizations and publics, it inherently fails to acknowledge that it 1) does not have control on how those stakeholders see the nature of such a claimed relationship, and 2) contradicts itself by excluding other audiences that may be meaningful. Together, these elements point to a paradox endemic to core claims that public relations makes about its worth, says Stoker. It is apparent that Stoker is pointing to public relations experiencing a disorientation of purpose that is too often unacknowledged.

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The Illustrated Guide to the Content Analysis Research Project

Reviewer

Laura E. Willis, Ph.D., School of Communications, Quinnipiac University

Author: Patricia Swann
Publisher: Routledge, 2021
ISBN (Hardback): 9781138605114
ISBN (Hardback): 9781138605114ISBN

(eBook): 9781138605121
Number of pages: 185

The Illustrated Guide to the Content Analysis Research Project introduces novice communication researchers to the fundamentals of social scientific research, with quantitative content analysis as the primary research method discussed, in a playful, approachable tone. Swann clearly demonstrates the value of research within the communication field and for communication students’ career development. The textbook meets undergraduate students where they are, recognizing the apprehension that students bring with them to their first research methods course and providing them with the resources and support necessary to help them develop a research mindset. The book also provides examples from peer-reviewed content analysis studies to demonstrate what type of information belongs in each section of a research paper and how published authors present their research.

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On Deadline: Managing Media Relations (6th Ed.)

Reviewer

Kristen Heflin, Kennesaw State University

Authors: Carole M. Howard, Wilma K. Mathews, and J. Suzanne Horsley
Publisher: Waveland Press, Inc., 2021
ISBN-10: 1478646055
ISBN-13: 978-1478646051
Number of pages: 228
https://www.waveland.com/browse.php?t=221&r=a|258

On Deadline: Managing Media Relations is an essential text for public relations students, professionals, teachers, and scholars who are interested in learning how to conduct effective media relations campaigns. It is a comprehensive guide to media relations that covers topics ranging from strategic planning to building relationships with the media to implementing media relations campaigns both in the United States and internationally. It is written in an accessible tone and provides indispensable advice including current best practices, examples, case studies, and interviews with public relations professionals.

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