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Annika Cianciolo
Professor Jizi
UWRT 1104
9.November.2016
Annotated Bibliography: Public Relations
Wynne, Robert. "Five Things Everyone Should Know About Public Relations." Forbes. Forbes
Magazine, 21 Jan. 2016. Web. 25 Oct. 2016.
This article was written to explain the truth about working in the field of Public
Relations. The author works to describe the day in the life of a public relations worker and he
explains how much of the public relations world is a persuasion game. When working in this
field, you need to be able to work with your audience and to try and make them believe in you or
an idea you are sharing. He brings in definitions from the Public Relations Society of America to
illustrate public relations as a way of communicating with an audience to create relationships that
are favorable for both parties. In a career in public relations you work as a storyteller to gain the
trust of your audience and persuade them towards your ideas. Other jobs include working with
the reputations of companies or individuals in order to keep brands safe or improve the
reputation of them. Throughout this, workers in the public relations fields attempt to create
positive advertisements for businesses, brands, and people.
The information about public relations proves its difference from a job in marketing
because it works to build up free publicity. This data begins explaining my inquiry topic which
is, What would a job in public relations look like in my life? This information gives a purpose
to me along with others who are looking towards a career in public relations but are unsure what
a job in this field would entail. The specific skills and qualities discussed have shown me what I

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would need to do to be a thriving public relations worker. It helps me decide if I have the skill set
explained through the article and teaches me what I need to work on to be successful in this field.
After reading this source one can find that a job in the public relations work field could
be very resourceful. The article delivers first hand experience about the career and gives
examples about what the work would entail. The author is a public relations professional and
works in Manhattan Beach, California. He writes about public relations and about how people
can easily find public relations professionals when in need.
Public Relations. Produced by Planet Pictures, Films Media Group, 1997. Films On Demand,
Accessed 2 Nov. 2016.
This film about the public relations field goes more in-depth to inform its viewers about
the processes of public relations work. It describes how when working in this field one needs to
thoroughly research their intended audience. In addition to this, one should research the type of
communication which would be most effective in persuading the audience of their message. The
public relations worker should be informed on their intended audiences former attitudes and
thought processes on the ideas they are sharing, which would help the worker approach their
audience in an appropriate way. Given the many different types of communication today, such as
social media, newspapers, or press releases, the public relations manager should explore which
of these types of communication would work best in reaching the intended audience.
My understanding of the types of research involved in the field of public relations helps
my inquiry of this field as well as others who are exploring public relations as a possible career
option. By explaining the different ways to communicate in public relations I will now have the
knowledge on how to effectively communicate with the audiences of my projects. The film also
describes the different types of communications and explains when each type should be used.

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Personally, it will be helpful for me to know when it is more effective to use a press release to fix
an image or when social media might work better to mend the problem.
Even though this movie is a little older, it still displays many key aspects of public
relations that are important today. This video was recommended by the Public Relations Review
which is the oldest collection of articles about Public Relations. This video was found on the
website for Films Media Group which stores academic videos about different ways of life,
vocational skills, and several other helpful topics. Many of these films are used in classrooms to
educate students.
Heath, Robert L., and W. Timothy Coombs. Today's Public Relations: An Introduction.
Thousand Oaks, California: Sage, 2006. 425-427 Print.
In this textbook for Public Relations, there is one section in particular that gives useful
information about the types of traits needed when starting a job in public relations. The PRSA
has specific skills and traits that public relations companies are looking for in employees. These
traits consist of organizational and imaginative skills, as well as confidence and performance
under pressure skills. Skills in the technical field also contribute to this field of work which
includes being technologically savvy when researching on the internet and being able to use
software. This text also puts a focus on staying updated with events occurring in ones
community and nation so that when a project arises the worker will be educated with background
information. The text explains how there should be specific characteristics for incoming workers
including being able to take criticism, the ability to talk to others, as well as traits of
individualism and adaptability. For higher up workers in the field, there are different traits that
are needed to be successful, most of which are learned along the way and built upon beginning
traits and skills.

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This text can be used to help beginners in the field of public relations know what to
expect when it comes to having necessary skills for a job. Regarding my topic of inquiry, this
part of the textbook really showed me what will be expected of me as I enter the workforce in the
public relations field after college. These skills are listed out in the textbook and are accessible to
readers in order for them to discover which traits they already have, and which they will need to
develop in order to succeed in this field. Seeing these traits gives me confidence in my abilities
because I believe I display many of the characteristics listed, and the technical work of which I
do not currently have will be learned throughout my college experience. My new ability to see
beginner expectations in relation to expectations of workers in higher up fields of public relations
allows me to plan out my career and learn through experiences of an entry level job.
This textbook is a reliable source because it is used to teach classes on public relations.
The author of this textbook is Robert L. Heath who is a professor at University of Houston, has a
Ph. D., and is internationally famous for his work on various communications topics. He has
written publications about public relations and has produced many articles. Also, he is the author
of many award winning novels. One of his most famous books is The SAGE Handbook of Public
Relations. He has written about the topic of communications which is helpful for those who are
researching about this topic and what jobs it consists of.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook,
2016-17 Edition, Public Relations Specialists, 17 Dec. 2015. Web. 07 Nov. 2016
The information found from the U.S. Department of Labor gives a thorough explanation
of public relations. This text explains how to begin a path to become a public relations worker. It
shares how requirements for this field consist of a bachelors degree in either communications,
english or business. It displays how receiving a degree in one of these areas will give a

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prospective worker the necessary skills expected of an entry level worker. It also goes on to
illustrate what kind of work entry level employees would be doing in their first year of public
relations. Some of this work includes helping to organize events and researching current event
information. Once workers build up experience on the job they will be graduated to higher level
work. The text explains how public relations workers need experience on lower stakes jobs
before they can take on the important tasks, for example, writing a press release. Internships are
also a huge part of this experience. When hiring employees, employers often look for workers
with more experience within the field which provides a better opportunity for getting a job. Two
major skills an employee must have is being able to work quickly and effectively under pressure
and also being able to create speeches and press releases for their clients.
The information I found from the U.S. Department of Labor website helped with my
inquiry because it gave effective information about how to pursue a career in the public relations
field. By giving examples of what majors are accepted for a job in this field provides me with a
plan for later years of college and also my early years out of college. It helped me to learn that
public relations is a broad field which allows for the studying of different majors all of which
will still get you a job in the field. With the information about what public relations firms look
for when hiring workers, it helps with my questions about how I will get a job and teaches the
best way for me to continue to move up in the public relations world.
This source is very credible because it is a government tool that has information on
almost every career in America. It has and will be used by many Americans who are inquiring
about a career and it is also a commonly used resource for businesses. It is all factual information
found by specific bureaus that validate and work to improve the information found on this site. I

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used this site for projects in my history class throughout high school and the valuable and factual
information I found brought me to believe the site as credible.
James, Geoffrey. "How To Write a Press Release, with Examples." CBSNews. CBS Interactive,
10 Nov. 2010. Web. 08 Nov. 2016.
In this article on press releases, it gives an overview of a common task in the public
relations field. It describes a press release as being free publicity and describes how the attitude
and opinion that is given off from your press release can make or break your cause. It explains
how if your argument is not professionally thought-out and organized, your argument will be
hurt and not taken seriously. Reporters will often decline to read press releases all the way
through if they are poorly written or unprofessional. The main goal for a press release is to reach
a wide audience of people who will then agree with your idea or come to your business because
of it. This will generate publicity about your topic whether it be someones brand, a new item, or
a business's reputation. The new publicity will bring more customers to your business, or even
create more conversation about your business amongst reporters. Once your topic becomes more
publicized, more articles will be written on it, leading to free advertisement. Another way to
ensure publicity is by connecting with the reporters and your audience so that they are inclined to
hear about, or read about your topic.
This article answers one of my large inquiry questions which is, What would I do with a
job in public relations? This article helped me understand what a press release is and why it is
so important for my future career. My inquiry was all about what public relations is, which in
turn has shown me how public relations is a very broad topic. After reading about specific tasks
that most all employees in public relations fields complete opened my eyes and allowed me to
see that there are many different jobs within the field of public relations. Now when I go in for

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an internship during my college years, I will not be nervous when asked about press releases and
other types of written material.
This source is very reliable because it is written by Geoffrey James who created the
award winning blog called Sales Source, and has authored many novels about business and sales.
He is also a motivational speaker who was named one of the top 50 sales influencers worldwide.
I think this is a very credible source because it was published on CBS moneywatch which is a
website from CBS News and is dedicated to explaining all types of business and economic
topics. CBS is one of the major news stations of today and has been on television since 1948. It
prides itself on having up to date news and educational articles on their website.