This edited volume assembled by Brigitta R. Brunner and Kelly Chernin serves as an introduction to the emerging field of public interest communications (PIC) and establishes a solid vision for the interdisciplinary field by identifying its foundations, practical uses, and lasting importance. PIC began on the heels of monumental movements toward societal change for the public good in the U.S., including the Civil Rights Movement, the Stonewall Riots, and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency. Contributors provide essential historic context alongside contemporary examples such as COVID-19 misinformation and book bans to emphasize how PIC, with its primary goal of fostering effective communication between public and private stakeholders, is not only relevant but necessary as our society continues to grapple with astronomical issues including climate change, economic and racial inequality, and the rise of authoritarianism.
Although PIC is rooted within strategic communication, contributors from disciplines as diverse as journalism, business, and even biology demonstrate the necessity of utilizing interdisciplinary approaches and methods toward establishing ongoing operative strategies that improve the human condition and, crucially, last beyond a single campaign.
Edited by:
Brigitta R. Brunner,
Kelly Chernin
Imprint: Rowman & Littlefield
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 232mm,
Width: 154mm,
Spine: 24mm
Weight: 640g
ISBN: 9781666972054
ISBN 10: 1666972053
Pages: 344
Publication Date: 23 April 2026
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
About the Contributors Introduction: Situating public interest communication foundation, application, and practice Brigitta R. Brunner (Auburn University, USA) and Kelly Chernin (Appalachian State University, USA) Intersections and Foundations 1. From public relations to public interest communication: A continuum tracing the location of the public interest in Communication practice Brigitta R. Brunner and Amber M. K. Smallwood 2. Going beyond “mainstream” versus “activist” journalism: Re-conceptualizing journalism through a public interest communication lens Summer Harlow (University of Texas at Austin, USA), Andrea Otáñez (University of Washington, USA), and Gina Baleria (Sonoma State University, USA) 3. “The government cannot create hurricanes:” Addressing contemporary public information communication challenges through rhetoric Ashli Q. Stokes (University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USA) 4. Ethics in public interest communication: Theories, challenges, and case studies Tor Bang (BI Norwegian Business School, Norway) 5. Can we do it differengly? Political communication through the lens of the public interest Barbara Myslik (Sacramento State University, USA) 6. Language and culture: Situating meaning in context for public interest communication Joseph Radice (University of Florida, USA) Application of Public Interest Communication Tenets 7. “Hey! Dr. Kat, epidemiologist:” Self-identified experts’ efforts to correct COVD-19 misinformation and disinformation campaigns on social media Carrie Reif-Stice (Augusta University, USA) 8. Privacy, politics, and public interest communication: The case of the removal of higher-education student data from Virginia’s FOIA Corey A. Hickerson (James Madison University, USA) 9. Social justice, business, and public interest communication Candice L. Edrington (University of South Carolina, USA), Ajia Meux (University of Florida, Howard University, University of Oklahoma, USA), and Natalie T. J. Tindall (University of Texas at Austin, USA) 10. Crystallizing public malcontent: Examining the use of grassroots strategic communication to facilitate and challenge book bans in the United States Christopher J. McCollough (Jacksonville State University, USA) 11. Danger or asset? On the importance of CEO sociopolitical advocacy to public interest communication Anja Fessmann (Universität of Passau, Germany) and Jasper Fessmann (University of Memphis, USA) 12. The cost of marriage Dean Mundy (University of Oregon, USA) 13. The role of PIC in today’s increasingly turbulent globalized world Marina Vujnovic (Monmouth University, USA) and Dean Kruckeberg (University of North Carolina Charlotte, USA) Research, practice, and an emerging field 14. A brief history of public interest communication: PIC’s early development and influence of its founding figures Jasper Fessmann, Brigitta R. Brunner, and Anja Fessmann 15. Bridging academic silos for better science communication: The importance of collaborative research in public interest communication Kelly Chernin and Mitchell Chernin (Bucknell University, USA) 16. The essential role of practitioners in public communications Cody Hays (Arizona State University, USA) 17. The responsibilities of public interest communication practitioners Cody Hays Conclusion: Sustaining ourselves through sustainable work Kelly Chernin, Cody Hays, and Brigitta R. Brunner Index
Brigitta R. Brunner is Professor in the School of Communication & Journalism at Auburn University, USA. Kelly Chernin is Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at Appalachian State University, USA.
Reviews for Public Interest Communications: Foundation, Influence, and Importance
Public Interest Communication: Foundation, Influence, and Importance provides a long-awaited option for professors, students, scholars, and practitioners who are hoping to understand or explain public interest communication (PIC), its relation to other areas like journalism or public relations, and examples of PIC in action. The editors have gathered an outstanding list of authors, and are outstanding authors themselves, on this important topic. * Brooke W. McKeever, Professor and Chair, Department of Advertising & Public Relations, University of Alabama, USA * There is no question that strategic communication and narrative storytelling shape the ways we understand our world—and more importantly, how we build a future that is inclusive, kind, and just. Teaching and inspiring public interest communicators is absolutely vital to that pursuit, and Brigitta R. Brunner & Kelly Chernin have given us a definitive, motivating text about what this work is all about, and why it matters. * Caty Borum, Professor of Communication, American University, USA, and Executive Director, Center for Media & Social Impact *
