Oksimoronu Yeniden Ele Almak: Kamu Çikari Ve Halkla İlişkiler Üzerine Teorik Bir Tartişma

Halkla ilişkilerin kendini propagandadan ya da diğer olumsuz çağrışımlardan farklılaştırmasının bir yolu olarak kullanılagelen kamu çıkarı kavramı, halkla ilişkiler uygulayıcıları ve halkla ilişkiler alanında çalışan akademisyenlerin başvurduğu temel kavramlar arasında yer almaktadır. Halkla ilişkilere yönelik övgü ya da yergiler genellikle kavrama direkt olarak gönderme yapılmasa da halkla ilişkilerin kamu çıkarına hizmet edip etmemesi üzerinden şekillenmektedir. Öyle ki, halkla ilişkilerdeki anaakım yaklaşımlar, halkla ilişkilerin kamu çıkarına hizmet ettiğini ve hatta kamu çıkarının halkla ilişkilerin varlık nedeni olduğunu iddia ederken, eleştirel yaklaşımlar halkla ilişkilerin kamu çıkarına değil pazar çıkarına hizmet ettiğinin altını çizmektedir. Tütün, alkol, kumar ve şekerleme endüstrileri örnekleri üzerinden teorik tartışmanın yürütüldüğü bu çalışma, halkla ilişkiler literatüründeki kamu çıkarı tartışmalarını; diyalog, etik ve demokrasi kavramları ekseninde tartışmaya açarak halkla ilişkiler ve kamu çıkarı kavramları arasındaki ilişkiyi, irdelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Bu çerçevede çalışmada, adı geçen endüstrilerin kamu çıkarı kavramıyla uyuşmayan örneklerinden dolayı, halkla ilişkilerin kamu çıkarına hizmet edemeyeceği ancak halkla ilişkilerin şirketlerin kamu çıkarına hizmet ediyormuş gibi görünmelerini sağlayan retorik bir araç olduğu iddia edilmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler:

halkla ilişkiler, kamu çıkarı, etik, public relations, public interest, ethics

Revisiting The Oxymoron: A Theoretical Discussion On Public Interest And Public Relations

The concept of public interest, which is used as a way for public relations to differentiate itself from propaganda or other negative connotations, is among the basic concepts utilized by public relations practitioners and academics working in the field of public relations. Compliments or criticisms of public relations are generally shaped by the discussion on whether public relations serve the public interest, although there is no direct reference to the concept. While mainstream approaches in public relations claim that public relations serve the public interest and the public interest is the raison d’être of public relations, critical approaches underline that public relations serve the market interest instead of the public interest. This study, which focuses on the public interest debates in the public relations literature with a theoretical discussion over the tobacco, alcohol, gambling, and confectionery industries, aims to examine the relation between public interest and public relations by opening the discussion on the axis of the concepts of dialogue, ethics, and democracy. In this context, the study claims that public relations cannot work the common good due to examples of the aforementioned industries that do not comply with the concept of public interest; however, public relations is a rhetorical instrument that makes corporations appear as if they serve the public interest.

Keywords:

public relations, public interest, ethics,

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