Similarly, public relations has had a negative image in popular culture of manipulation,
artificiality and puffery [7]. Reporters are often the conveyors and reinforcers of this negative
viewpoint [8]. Reporters often refer to PR professionals –whether those working in the public
or private sectors – as ‘flacks [9].’ According to the New York Times, the term “may be the
most derisive printable word that journalists use to describe public relations people [10].” In
1978, Safire defined a flack as a “paid proponent, with its pejorative and sometimes madcap
connotation [11].” The word continues its vitality to the present time, with frequent uses in
daily journalism [12], magazines [13], books [14] and professional journals [15].