Communications and Media

Multiple Choice
1.The Public Relations Society of America
a. boycotted against a government-imposed code of ethics.
b. is affiliated with the federal government.
c. designed a code of ethics for public relations professionals.
d. counteracts negative foreign publicity about the United States.
e. all of the above

2.An example of well-managed crisis public relations occurred during
a. the Nixon administrations effort to distance itself from the Watergate break-in.
b. the introduction of Cabbage Patch dolls in 1983.
c. the Johnson and Johnson Companys effort after Tylenol was connected to poisoning deaths.
d. the placement of a two-and-a-half story pair of tennis shoes on hotels.
e. the Alaska oil spill of 1989.

3.Which of the following is not recommended by public relations experts if a company has a public relations crisis
a. Avoid telling the whole truth to the media.
b. Admit the mistake.
c. Apologize to the public.
d. Put the chairman or CEO on television to say the mistake wont happen again.
e. Place newspaper ads thanking customers for their support.

4.Many firms attempt to use PR to get favorable media coverage of their products because
a. the firm can get its message across without any noise.
b. it is easier to get a publicity release published than it is an ad.
c. although publicity is more expensive to produce, it is usually more effective.
d. it is cheaper to get a publicity release published than to purchase an ad.
e. all of the above

5.A study of news stories carried in The Wall Street Journal found that
a. virtually all originated with the papers reporters.
b. nearly half the stories came from press releases.
c. most of the stories came from the wire services.
d. less than 5 percent were based on press releases.
e. all of the above

6.Todays best public relations people are
a. sophisticated, low-key communicators.
b. people closely following orders from their clients or employers.
c. generally only high school graduates.
d. bereft of moral conviction.
e. people who have no news media experience.

7.Getting a newspaper to write stories about a new toy is an example of
a. product public relations.
b. financial public relations
c. crisis public relations.
d. advertising.
e. governmental public relations.

8.Which of the following is not true of the relationship of the Internet to the practice of public relations
a. The Internet has created new opportunities for complaints and criticisms about corporate performance to spread.
b. Monitoring the World Wide Web for negative publicity is good public relations practice.
c. Companies and public relations agencies are spending large amounts of money and time to monitor the World Wide Web for negative publicity.
d. Public relations problems can develop on chat rooms, online forums, and Usenet groups, as well as on Web sites.
e. The Internet provides opportunities to globalize public relations practice.

10.The former newspaper reporter who organized the Committee on Public Information for the U.S. Government during World War I was
a. Ivy Lee
b. Edward L. Bernays
c. Elmer Davis
d. George Creel
e. Carl Byoir

9. Which of the following is a major difference between the practice of public relations and the practice of advertising
a. Advertising is involved in persuasion, and public relations are not.
b. Advertising representatives work directly with the media, while public relations representatives do not.
c. Shifting demographic patterns affect the work of advertising people but not the work of public relations people.
d. Advertising people are usually not involved in corporate policy decisions, and public relations people usually are.
e. Advertising is considered a mass medium, while public relations is not.


TrueFalse

1. Business executives agree that in a crisis such as the Odwalla E.coli outbreak, the best person to represent the company is the head of its public relations office.

2. Because of their distinctly different functions, PR firms and advertising agencies are almost never combined.  False.

3. The Utah Mine Disaster of 2007 is considered a model of public relations management. True

4. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1961 that a public relations firm could exercise its First Amendment rights to present false information on behalf of its client. False

5. Media placement people in a PR firm contact news media, hoping to persuade them to publish or broadcast stories about their clients. True

6. The term press agentry often means upholding the highest ethical public relations standards. False

7. Public relations people are often involved in policy decisions in their companies. True

8. Anne Williams Wheaton, an early public relations pioneer, later worked for President Dwight D. Eisenhower as his associate press secretary. True

9. Modern public relations emerged at the beginning of the 20th century as a way for business to respond to the muckrakers and to Theodore Roosevelts antitrust campaign.  True.

10. During World War II, the Office of War Information was created to protest the United States participation in the war. False

11. Public relations involves creating an understanding for or goodwill toward, a company, a person or a product.
True

12. The first publicity firm, called The Council on Public Information, opened in Boston in 1900 to head off the growing public criticism of the railroad companies. False

13. Public relations people are responsible for organizing open houses and other special events, testing message concepts and writing press releases. True

14. Public relations for nonprofit groups is one of the fastest growing areas of the industry. True

15. Editors use very little of the information submitted as press releases by public relations people. False

16. A public relations practitioner rarely contributes to decisions about how a company will deal with the public. False

17.The U. S. Governments Office of War Information during World War II was led by former newscaster Elmer Davis. True

18. Before 1900, business worked successfully with the media in promoting a positive image by having company officials hold frequent press conferences with reporters.
False.