| This research explored a rarely tapped field where public relations, news media, and international relations converge.; The theory of marketing driven journalism and the concept of agenda building were integrated to construct the theoretical framework of the research, which addressed the goal of international media relations and the factors that affect the effectiveness of the media relations. The dependent variable is effectiveness of media relations. The independent variables include mutual perceptions between media representatives and public relations professionals, routines and practices of public relations, features of information subsidies, marketplace pressure, communication technology, international system, and law/regulation governing the practice of public relations.; The research methods comprised one analysis of secondary data, three case studies, and a content analysis. The analysis of secondary data examined the changes of the U.S. public relations industry representing international clients. The three case studies respectively examined the international public relations campaigns conducted in the United States by Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and China. The content analysis examined how a country's status in the world system is correlated to the use of its press releases by the U.S. major newspapers.; Although not every component of the framework was tested, the findings of the research are basically supportive of the conceptualization. The three case studies indicated that the press releases of the international clienteles could successfully enter the major U.S. press and the goals of image polishing and agenda building could be achieved.; The use of press releases is correlated to the status of a country in the world system, showing that country status is a factor affecting the effectiveness of media relations. In addition, the changes of the public relations industry representing international clienteles are related to the dynamics of the marketplace, in turn reinforcing the assumptions of marketing-driven journalism. Furthermore, the use of press release is positively correlated to the conflict theme of the events covered by the news media. This research contributed to the literature of marketing-driven journalism and agenda building as well as international communication, both conceptually and methodologically. |
