Ko-Evolution von Public Relations und Journalismus: Ein erster Beitrag zu ihrer systematischen Aufarbeitung

There are many research findings and some theoretical models in regard of the interaction between journalism and public relations (PR). But hardly any research has so far looked at this relationship from an historical perspective, an endeavor also called the ‘co-evolution’ of PR and journalism. The aim of this article is to make a first step into the analysis of this co-evolution with a focus on the emergence of PR and based on literature about the history of PR. The analysis shows that the rise of PR in the second half of the 19th century was a reaction to the development of journalism, which had become increasingly polemic. Thus for many social protagonists and organizations the barriers to enter the public arena were raised. At the same time the importance of the mass media and furthermore the pressure on social protagonists and organizations to legitimize their interests in a changing society were growing. These results support a theoretical concept that describes the development of mass communication as processes of rationalization of societal communication, which can be linked with theories of social systems.