Module: Press & Public Relations

Latest Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026

Module Title	Press & Public Relations
Module Code	MCO1034 (ITS: CM3100)
Faculty	Communications	School	Humanities & Social Sciences
NFQ level	8	Credit Rating	5

Description

To enable students to define key concepts of public relations; To explain the distinction between public relations and advertising and marketing; To familiarise students with the workings of press relations and public relations campaigns; To encourage critical thinking in relation to the practice of public relations.

Learning Outcomes

1. Recognise public relations activities within an organisation.
2. Define the nature of public relations within a range of organisations.
3. Differentiate between public relations, advertising and marketing.
4. Deconstruct a public relations plan into its constituent elements.
5. Evaluate the success, or otherwise, of a public relations campaign.
6. Identify appropriate public relations activities for given situations and specific publics.
7. Demonstrate an awareness of issues relating the ethical practice of Public Relations.

*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full time hours per semester
Lecture	22	Weekly class contact and tutor consultation
Assignment Completion	30	Case Study Assignment
Online activity	25	Use of course-related material on Moodle
Independent Study	48	General research and reading
Total Workload: 125

Section Breakdown
CRN	10997	Part of Term	Semester 1
Coursework	0%	Examination Weight	0%
Grade Scale	40PASS	Pass Both Elements	Y
Resit Category	RC1	Best Mark	N
Module Co-ordinator	Madeline Boughton	Module Teacher	Martin Molony

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Assessment Breakdown
Essay	An individual case study of a chosen public relations campaign, including a reflection on appropriate improvements.	70%	Sem 1 End
Loop Quiz	Students will be required to complete online quizzes within Loop.	30%	As required

Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories; RC1: A resit is available for both^* components of the module. RC2: No resit is available for a 100% coursework module. RC3: No resit is available for the coursework component where there is a coursework and summative examination element. ^* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a coursework/summative examination split; where the module is 100% coursework, there will also be a resit of the assessment

Pre-requisite	None
Co-requisite	None
Compatibles	None
Incompatibles	None

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

What is Public Relations?
Perceptions of Public Relations; Best practice in Public Relations; Forms of Public Relations; Functions of Public Relations; Defining publics; Public Relations & Advertising; Public Relations & Marketing; Public Relations & Journalism; Measuring the effectiveness of PR.

Public Relations Activities
Media kits; News releases; Photocalls; Video news releases; News conferences: Expert sources; Public service announcements; Reputation advertising; Endorsements; Op-Ed articles; Audience opportunities; Media tours; Public consulation; Crisis management; Corporate Social Responsiblity; Sponsorship; PR, new media and social media.

The News Release
What is a press release?; Effective news releases; Understanding a news story; News angles; Inverted pyramid structure; News release common mistakes; The care and feeding of the press.

Crisis Communications
What is a crisis?; Issues management; Case studies in crisis communications (Tylenol, Exxon, NatWest, Virgin Rail, Brian Cowan, BP); Lessons from 9/11.

Social Media for Public Relations
Web 2.0 & PR 2.0; Channels for online presence; Social Media revolution; RSS; Blogs; Wikis; Facebook; LinkedIn; Twitter; You Tube; Effective Social Media campaigns; Key strategies in using social media for Public Relations.

Toxic Sludge is Good For You
Worst PR practices; Analysis of poor professional standards; Discussion of unethical PR activities.

Ethics in Public Relations
"Good day to bury bad news"; Ambush Marketing; What are ethics?; Myths to avoid ethics; Ethics - duty to whom?; Ethical issues in Public Relations; PRII code of practice; Code of Lisbon; PRSA code of ethics; Decision-making (Potter, Sims); Parson's Pillars; The Four-Way Test; Common ethical issues; Case studies in unethical PR.

The Journalist & the PR Professional
Understanding the role of a journalist; Understanding the environment in which a journalist works; Motivations of a journalist vs. serving a PR client; Churnalism; Labelling PR content in news; The newsroom environment; Targetting the right journalist; The newsroom of tomorrow.

Public Relations for Non-Profits
The third sector; Volunteerism and philanthropy; Role of PR in non-profit organisations; Case studies.

Public Relations Planning and Evaluation
What constitutes a plan?; Key elements of a PR plan; Strategic planning; Ten step planning process; Goals and objectives; PR campaign evaluation.

Indicative Reading List

Books:

Broom, Glen M.: 2013, Cutlip and Center's Effective Public Relations, Pearson Education, New Jersey,
Fink, Stephen: 2013, Crisis communications: the definitive guide to managing the message, McGraw-Hill Education, New York,
Hackley, Christopher E: 2010, Advertising and promotion: in integrated marketing communications, 2nd, Sage Publications, London,
L'Etang, Jacqui: 2015, The Routledge handbook of critical public relations, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, Abingdon, Oxon,
Lloyd, John & Toogood, Laura: 2015, Journalism and PR: news media and public relations in the digital age, I. B. Tauris, London,
Scott, David Meerman: 2013, The new rules of marketing & PR, 4th edition, John Wiley & Sons, New Jersey,
Theaker, Alison & Yaxley, Heather: 2013, The public relations strategic toolkit, Routledge, London,

Articles:
None

Other Resources

None