How public relations professionals are managing the potential for sabotage, rumors, and misinformation disseminated via the Internet by computer hackers

The paper examines how public relations professionals are dealing with the potential for sabotage, rumors, and misinformation spread via the Internet by computer hackers. The author examines the public relations profession from a systems theory perspective and attempts to outline skills necessary for organizational survival in the new information age. Original data was gathered from a sample population of 41 (n=85 for a 48% response rate) public relations professionals from the membership directory of the Public Relations Society of America. The author concluded from the data that the majority of public relations professionals currently view the Internet as a one-way communication channel. In addition, the data supported the notion that public relations professionals are limited by their lack of understanding of the two-way communication potential of the medium, the speed and power of messages traveling in cyberspace, and the current legal climate as it relates to Internet activity.