Chapter 4 - Legal Environment
I think the key points to remember from this week's readings were that:
Public Relations practitioners not only need to be aware of the various aspects of their clients’ needs but also need a firm understanding of the legal environment they are a part of when entering the PR world.
These readings really gave me a new understanding of the areas PR practitioners need to be versed in. Previously, I hadn’t taken into consideration the need to have a background in the legal system and its workings. In fact it was probably the furthest thing from my mind. But having taken in this week’s readings in thoroughly, I have become aware that in today’s society it is now crucial for PR practitioners to have a foundation in law and ethics.
Johnston and Zawawi suggest that before taking to a legal solution, the PR practitioner should consider 3 questions.
1.What are a PR practitioner’s legal rights and responsibilities?
2.How do these rights and responsibilities translate into everyday work practices?
3.What are the PR implications of any legal dispute?
To make informed decisions it is easier to focus on some key areas such as protecting reputations, protecting creative ideas, the practitioner’s duty of care among others.
This chapter also clearly described the areas of importance in the legal environment of PR. It did this through using examples of actual cases and disputes. Areas that were made easily understandable for a non-legal minded person such as myself were the instances of defamation, property(real, personal and intellectual) law and the role of contracts and the many components that must be covered to ensure an amicable and continuous working relationship between companies, contractors, staff etc.
Having no prior knowledge I found the description excellent. Explanations of the Trade Practices Act 1974 and the many aspects of Intellectual property protection were very useful.
I now feel that I have a satisfactory grasp of the legal workings of the PR industry and I hope this knowledge continues to grow.
The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice as encompassing more elements than I previously had established in my mind and made me rethink my understanding of PR and its function.
1 comment:
Hi Annika
I haven't yet read week 5 readings as you have done so firstly, good on you for being in front.
I had imagined that the legal environment when considering public relations would have something to do with how PR works in legal confines. Just when you think you have this PR thing worked out, along comes the legal eagle with all their rules and restrictions. Does this impact upon the role of the practitioner? Probably not, I imagine that this would only act to inhibit the role of the practitioner. However, I am sure that legal requirements always lurk in the back of the dark recesses of one's mind and only come to the fore when an obvious dilemma is being faced.
Great Blog!
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