As P. L. Berger and T. Luckmann argue, what the public regards as social reality is a construction to which each member contributes by selecting from all available information to develop a picture of the world. To do so, people negotiate with other people regarding the meaning of the information provided. A logical extension of this theory is that public relations influences the meaning of reality. In organizations that deal with the public, complex social relationships, power, politics, and influence all effect the way problems are defined and small portions of reality constructed in order to make decisions and pursue solutions. Public relations practitioners construct the meaning of the environment for organizations (for example, by describing the consequences of their interaction with the public or the land), and represent the organizations to the outside world (for example, through media advertising), presenting constructions of reality to both sides which are then negotiated for. From this standpoint, criticisms of public relations practitioners' subjective definition of truth and their manipulation of facts are undercut by the recognition that all reality is socially constructed. Conversely, the practice of upsetting ordinary reality constructions and representing information in ways calculated to effect reality perception and behavior raises ethical questions. Individuals in public relations must be adequately prepared for issues of what constitutes honesty in communication when social reality is a construction arrived at through negotiation. (JG)