A case for the plausibility of public relations licensing: The carrot of privileged communication

Abstract

Public relations practitioners and academics have long debated the merits of licensing; however, licensing has not been adopted due to a lack of appetite among practitioners as well as concerns about the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. Using an analogy with the professions that practice therapy, we argue that licensing of public relations can comply with the First Amendment by providing incentives to licensees, as opposed to restricting the practice of the unlicensed. We identify several potential incentives and provide a detailed analysis of a proposed right to legally privileged communication. We conclude with suggestions for next steps toward creation of licensing and resources that may help in this endeavor.