Public Relations and Protocol Journalism
There has been growing interest in the ways in which the public relations field can contribute to
democratization and civil society. Some scholars see enormous potential for public relations and
the information subsidy to help get important social issues on the public agenda (Taylor, 2000,
Taylor & Doerfel, 2005). Other scholars have critiqued the practice of public relations in newly
formed nations as a form of hegemony that privileges Western ideas, values, and standards of
practice (Dutta-Bergman, 2005). One thing is certain: more scholarly attention is required if the
field of public relations is to truly understand its evolving role in civil society. The purpose of
this paper is to explore how public relations can contribute to civil society development. The
researcher interviewed media professionals, public relations/organizational spokespersons, and
civil society experts about the opportunities and challenges of public relations function in
building civil society in Kosovo. The findings suggest that “protocol journalism” is the guiding
framework for explaining how public relations and the media work together in building civil
society. The implications of this “protocol journalism” are discussed and recommendations
provided to help create a more balanced and mutually beneficial public relations-media
relationship.