Can and should public relations practitioners try to influence public opinion? Are there limits to our ability to persuade? When does persuasion become manipulation?

What will be an ideal response?

Answer: There are times when it is appropriate to seek to persuade someone else to accept your point of view. Generally, people will not act against their own self-interests. Persuasion is an ethical process through which consensus and approval are gained. When used to that end, persuasion is a compliance-gaining tactic. The ideal situation is finding a common ground where values and interests intersect. Manipulation, by its very nature, suggests something underhanded. While it is true that there may be short-term gains to be reaped by telling half-truths or by putting narrow interests ahead of broader ones, manipulation also risks long-term damage to the practitioner's credibility. It also runs contrary to the view of public relations as a problem-solving discipline whose practitioners seek out alternatives that are mutually beneficial to all parties concerned.