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Conducting Public Relations Research: Methodologies and Resources The Practitioner Definition Various concepts of public relations offer a glimpse at the evolution of this communications function in organizations and as a part of society. It has been a difficult task for members of a burgeoning profession seeking a separate identity to pin down a catchall definition for its practice. In the early 1900s big business interests hired public relations practitioners to defend their interests against muckraking journalism and government regulation (Scott Cutlip, Allen Center & Glen Broom 2). The emphasis in public relations was to tell the company’s side of the story and counter the negative publicity the press was generating. These campaigns were designed to influence public opinion and to prevent policy changes that would require more regulation of business. America’s entry into World War I created a need for one-way persuasive communication and so the Committee on Public Information was formed. Headed by George Creel, the goal was to unite public opinion in support of the war through the implementation of a worldwide propaganda campaign. This was public relations as a form of publicity used to influence others. Lea