Abstract

This article, which could be categorized as “iconoclastic speculation,” argues against the traditional close relationship between public relations and trust. Evidence of proximity is scarce. It could not be otherwise, because PR flourishes in Western-style liberal democracy, which is a polity tending to disorder, founded on open argument between organizations and groups. PR is the communicative trace of their search for advantage and survival in this competitive environment. In these circumstances, trust as a desired outcome of PR is pushed to the edge.