The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Perceptions of Public Relations Practitioners

Public perception of public relations practitioners was measured using a telephone survey with a source manipulation experiment interwoven into a standard opinion poll. The nationwide sample (N = 593) revealed that sources affiliated with the organization on whose behalf they speak are viewed more negatively than unaffiliated sources. In addition, public relations practitioners were judged no more critically than other affiliated sources. Finally, a multiitem measure of public relations in general demonstrated that perceptions of practitioners are stable across demographics.