Power, diversity and public relations: Theorizing a new paradigm for democratic public relations practice and scholarly analysis

摘要

Lee Edwards' book Power, Diversity and Public Relations - a part of the Routledge New Directions in Public Relations and Communication Research series - analyzes the complexities surrounding the lack of racial and ethnic diversity in the UK public relations industry. This issue is a source of ongoing interest and inquiry, as well as antipathy, for public relations scholars and practitioners. Stark statistics frame Edwards' analysis: Although the majority of the industry is based in London where 40percent of the city's population is from non-White, minority communities, Black, Asian and other minority ethnic (BAME) practitioners only make up 7 percent of the UK public relations industry (Edwards, 2015). Despite a proliferation of diversity programs and the rise of the rhetoric of inclusion, enough substantial progress has not been made when it comes to increasing diversity within the public relations field, and Edwards explicates some of the main reasons why the problem of homogeneity in public relations persists. She does so by uniting theoretical exploration with empirical evidence through a critical discourse analysis of key industry texts and first-hand accounts of BAME practitioners, which combine to provide a unique and comprehensive view of diversity in the UK public relations industry.