The Next of Kin: Propaganda, realism or a film with a purpose?

This article describes use of realism in the World War II propaganda film, The Next of Kin, and the purposive approach to public information film making used by the director, Thorold Dickinson to convey a didactic message about careless talk in cinematic form. Through this historical exposition - based on archival research in Thorold Dickinson's papers in the UAL Archives and Special Collections - of a purposive and realistic form of public information discourse in wartime cinema, the paper adds to public relations (PR) historical knowledge of the filmic past

Towards a theory of rent-seeking in activist public relations

An interdisciplinary conceptual essay offering critical reflection on the adoption of activism as a domain of public relations practice. This article examines the possibility of a relationship between the concept of economic rent-seeking from public choice theory and the practice, institutions and outcomes of activist public relations. The conclusion is an outline of three counter-narratives that theorise activist public relations as a practice that seeks to extract rents in the form of benefits from the political arena as a result of persuasive activity

Notes on a philosophy of communications design

Conference paper given at European Public Relations Education and Research Association (EUPRERA) 2017 Annual Congress, 12-14 October, London

Making the case for the UK’s drone capability: public relations as a carrier of strategic culture

The purpose of this paper is to offer critical analysis of how public relations (PR) were used to justify the use of drones by the UK Government, through the promotion of a distinct strategic culture. The paper locates governmental PR discourse on drones in the UK since 2013 within the strategic culture associated with the global war on terror