Claiming narrative agency: Public relations ideals and realities in socio-ecological transformational change

Public relations roles have been the subject of considerable scholarly investigation. However, conceptual and empirical work in this area has focused predominantly on the relationship between public relations and journalism and debates around ethics and professionalization; the link between role perceptions and actual role performance in practice remains opaque. In the current context of a permacrisis, environmental catastrophes, and political disruptions and demarcations on a global, national and local level, there is an urgent need for socio-ecological transformation and authentic sustainable development. This research asks what are the roles and perceived responsibilities of public relations professionals in this change process and how (much) perceived agency for change tests traditional boundaries between the professional and personal role? Through in depth, reflexive narrative interviews (n = 16), anchoring professional roles in their actual performance, we compare public relations practitioners’ ideals and practices in a traditionally green environment, in this case Austria, and the US, where sustainability communication is less regulated with less binding legal requirements – even before the most recent policy shifts. The findings show that professional communicators are claiming what we conceptualize as narrative agency in change contexts, focusing on ethics in the act of storytelling and dialogicality. This research expands the scope of public relations scholarship and particularly previous work on agency in a world in transition.