Saira Ali - Böcker

The goal of Public Relations and Strategic Communication is to bring public relations and communication theories to life. Public relations is a hugely diverse profession in terms of its functions, publics and stakeholders. However, it is the multi-faceted nature of the profession that has resulted in it becoming an essential part of organisations in a range of industries. Advanced skills in relationship management, communication and reputation management are required in every organisation and have become even more important with the rapid evolution of digital technologies such as social media. Public Relations and Strategic Communication aims to educate readers about this ever-changing landscape through the clear explanation and practical application of theory. Throughout this text, public relations and communication theories have been dissected, critically analysed and explained in clear language using contemporary Australian examples. Each theory is also demonstrated in its entirety, particularly focusing on how it underpins core public relations functions. This approach aims to teach public relations students theoretical concepts from a micro and macro level. The incorporation of interviews with industry practitioners also provides students with further insight into the realities of public relations and strategic communication as a profession. Public Relations and Strategic Communication aims to make theory accessible and interesting by taking a storytelling approach to ensure readers remain engaged throughout their learning journey. The intention is that this text sparks with students an ongoing curiosity about public relations and communication theory and the profession overall.

This book offers an East-West comparative analysis of mediatised terrorism. This is the first country-specific analysis of the mediatisation of terrorism, with Pakistan and Australia representing the two worlds, respectively. Caught up in the ‘9/11 effect’, Australia is known for its anti-terror ‘hyper-legislation’, despite the implausible nature of the threat. In contrast, Pakistan is plagued by terrorism, yet the military establishment favours a duplicitous policy of fighting militant groups selectively. To understand how the two diverse cultural sites, with their very different experiences of terrorism, make sense of this unpredictable threat, the book uses Beck’s World Risk Society theory as a conceptual framework to examine the production and construction of news narratives around the risk of terrorism in both countries through textual analysis of local news stories and in-depth interviews with Australian and Pakistani journalists. Narratives about ‘global terrorism’ are mostly ‘Western’, with fear of its impact on ‘Western’ democracy and civilisation. This book aims to fill the gap and present a nuanced understanding of global terrorism by examining the characteristics of the phenomenon in a Western as well as an Eastern location and the ways in which the risk of terrorism is being played out in the two worlds. This book will be of much interest to students of critical terrorism studies, media studies, Asia-Pacific politics, and International Relations.