A Modern Definition of Public Relations | Gerald Corbett, Public Relations Defined, Public Relations Society of America

Corbett writes: 

Following 1,447 votes, hundreds of submissions, abundant commentary and nearly a year of research, we are pleased to announce the winning modern definition of public relations. Based on a public vote, held Feb. 13–26, of three candidate definitions, the profession’s choice for the modern definition of PR is:

“Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.”

I didn't take part in any of the discussions or votes on this new definition. But having worked in public relations (and its related communications and marketing branches) for more than 32 years, I think that's a functional definition. (I can't compare it to the other two candidates; they seem to have been removed from the linked pages.)

I think it's much better than the definition adopted by the Public Relations Society of America in 1982: “Public relations helps an organization and its publics adapt mutually to each other.” The new definition includes "communication"--an essential component of public relations, in my opinion.