Reconceptualising Public Relations: Its Expanding Role in the Construction of Public Trust and Media Narratives
Downloads
Public relations (PR) has undergone a significant transformation in response to the increasing complexity of digital communication environments, where public trust and media narratives are continuously negotiated. Traditional models centred on message control are being challenged by participatory media systems, necessitating a reconceptualisation of PR as a dynamic and relational discipline. This study aims to examine the evolving role of public relations in the construction of public trust and the management of media narratives within hybrid and digitally mediated communication landscapes. A qualitative, interpretivist research design was employed using a multiple case study approach. Twelve high-profile cases across corporate, governmental, and non-governmental sectors (2020–2024) were purposively selected. Data were collected from organisational communications, media coverage, and public engagement metrics. Thematic and discourse analyses were conducted to identify patterns in communication strategies, narrative framing, and trust-related outcomes. Three principal themes emerged: strategic transparency, narrative framing and counter-narrative management, and dialogic engagement. Proactive transparency and timely communication were strongly associated with positive trust outcomes, whereas delayed or defensive messaging correlated with negative sentiment. Media narratives were found to evolve through iterative interactions among organisations, media actors, and networked publics, reflecting the dynamics of hybrid media systems. Organisations that actively monitored public perception and engaged in responsive, two-way communication demonstrated greater capacity to influence narrative trajectories and sustain trust. Public relations plays a central role in the co-construction of public trust and media narratives in contemporary communication environments. Effective practice requires a shift towards transparent, dialogic, and adaptive strategies that prioritise continuous engagement and ethical accountability. The findings contribute to theoretical and practical understandings of PR by highlighting its integrative function within complex, decentralised media systems.
J. E. Grunig and T. Hunt, Managing Public Relations. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1984.
L. Edwards, “Trust, truth and ‘organized lying’: A critical study of the Edelman Trust Barometer,” in Routledge Handbook of the Influence Industry, Routledge, 2024, pp. 303–319.
D. M. Lazer and others, “The science of fake news,” Science (80-. )., vol. 359, no. 6380, pp. 1094–1096, 2018.
A. Chadwick, The Hybrid Media System: Politics and Power. Oxford University Press, 2017.
T. Coombs and S. Holladay, “Crisis communication as strategic communication: Process and insights,” in Research Handbook on Strategic Communication, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2022, pp. 259–273.
J. E. Grunig, “Public relations, social inclusion, and social exclusion,” Journal. & Commun. Monogr., vol. 25, no. 2, pp. 90–108, 2023.
E. Meric, Z. Cakici, B. Goncu, and S. Dogan, “An exploratory study of dialogic communication on mobile gaming company websites: The Turkish context,” Rom. J. Commun. Public Relations, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 71–87, 2025.
E. C. Tomlinson and A. Schnackenberg, “The effects of transparency perceptions on trustworthiness perceptions and trust,” J. Trust Res., vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 1–23, 2022.
M. H. de Zárate, “The Routledge International Handbook of Art Therapy Practice,” in The Routledge International Handbook of Art Therapy Practice, D. Waller and C. L. Vaculik, Eds., Routledge, 2025.
W. A. Barry and A. M. Hafiz, “Contemporary quantitative and qualitative public relations research methods in Arab scholarly studies: A meta-research,” SEARCH J. Media Commun. Res., vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 1–5, 2024.
B. Johnson and L. Onwuegbuzie, “Mixed methods research: A research paradigm whose time has come,” Educ. Res., vol. 33, no. 7, pp. 14–26, 2014, doi: 10.3102/003465431455849.
J. W. Creswell and V. L. P. Clark, “Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches,” SAGE Publ., vol. 4, pp. 1–295, 2015.
M. Rigg and S. K. Scott, “Mixed methods research in social sciences: Methodology and applications,” Int. J. Soc. Res. Methodol., vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 47–64, 2015, doi: 10.1080/13645579.2015.1071410.
K. Hansen and J. S. Christensen, “Public relations and trust: The role of transparency and open communication in trust formation,” J. Public Relations Res., vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 143–159, 2014, doi: 10.1080/1062726X.2014.883119.
A. Fletcher and P. Marsh, “Limitations of qualitative research and the role of mixed methods in public relations and communications studies,” Public Relat. Rev., vol. 45, no. 4, pp. 101–112, 2019, doi: 10.1016/j.pubrev.2019.01.001.
Copyright (c) 2026 Hani Abdul Mohammed Al-Maamouri
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
