Ethics & the Public Relations Models

Public relations practice, as represented by the four public relations models, also represent ethical development in public relations. Grunig and Hunt identified four models of public relations that progress from an elementary method of public relations to a more sophisticated practice. The models from basic to sophisticated include press agentry/publicity, public information, two-way asymmetrical communication, and two-way symmetrical communication. Each model represents a specific ethical orientation that when considered collectively illustrates the ethical development of public relations.