Is public affairs the same as public relations?
Public affairs industry
The industry has developed over recent years and is normally considered a branch or sub-discipline of public relations (PR). Given the broad nature of public affairs, what exactly the industry encapsulates remains a point of discussion. While often equated with lobbying, this is usually only a small part of what a public affairs practitioner might do. Other typical functions include research, strategy planning and providing advice.
History of public relations
According to "The Global Public Relations Handbook", public relations evolved from a series of "press agents or publicists" to a manner of theory and practice in the 1980s. Research was published in academic journals like "Public Relations Review" and the "Journal of Public Relations Research". This led to an industry consensus to categorize PR work into a four-step process: research, planning, communication and action.