Cutlip issued the call to study: :"Public relations strategies and tactics are increasingly used as weapons of power in our no-holds-barred political, economic, and cause competition in the
public opinion marketplace, and thus deserve more scholarly scrutiny than they have had." Cutlip expressed the opinion that public relations is a "vital cog in the nation’s information system" in the prologue to his book
The Unseen Power. He describes the public system as consisting of "government – federal, state, and local, political parties, pressure groups, non-profit organizations, public relations personnel, and the channels of communication, manned by reporters, editors, and gatekeepers". He noted that since citizens depend on this system, practitioners have a
social responsibility while they skilfully advocate on behalf of clients. At best, a public relations counselor may inform a CEO or
board of directors of a client firm of necessities when contending with negative public opinion. For instance, advice may avoid a loss of
market share and thus prove valuable. More generally, public relations practitioners enrich public dialogue and consolidate the frayed threads of discord. Cutlip conceded that practice may contribute to congestion and corrosion of communication channels. As practitioners of the craft, Cutlip listed "propagandist, press agent, public information officer, public relations or public affairs official, political campaign specialist, lobbyist". The occupations operate under conditions of
free speech. In a
democracy, it is the informed votes of citizens that rights a listing
ship of state, according to
Milton. Cutlip also cited
Hugo Black of the
U. S. Supreme Court re-affirming the free speech context of practitioners in 1961. University colleagues
Merrill Jensen and
Merle Curti challenged Cutlip to defend devious tactics of public relations practitioners. They saw public relations for its corrosive effect of undermining public trust and leading to
cynicism. For his part, Cutlip noted that "only through the expertise of public relations can causes, industries, individuals and institutions make their voices heard in the public forum where thousands of shrill, competing voices daily recreate the
Tower of Babel." "The impact of public relations counselling can be seen ... in the more socially responsible business leadership that emerged in the wake of the Depression and the New Deal." ==Awards==