Journal of Communication and Public Relations

A Retrospective View of Communication and Public Relations: Evolution, Transformation, and Emerging Directions

This series of research articles published in JCPR Vol. 5 No. 2 (2026) captures how communication and public relations, and media channels transform to keep pace with the complex challenges of society, technology, and public policy. The ten articles compiled in this edition demonstrate that communication has evolved into a participatory, constitutive, and dialogic space that determines the success of various entities—whether governmental, corporate, or political institutions.

This issue opens with a retrospective evaluation of public health crisis management in Bandung, West Java, where the Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) model demonstrates that two-way communication involving local figures and the public is more effective in curbing misinformation than traditional one-way formal channels. This emphasis on public engagement extends to media studies showing how public relations practitioners strategically frame environmental discourse in alignment with media agendas to cultivate ecological awareness. In the digital sphere, research on mental health campaigns, political communication, and higher education branding further highlights the importance of educational, humanistic, responsive, and engaging narratives. Studies of @socialconnect.id demonstrate how educational content can challenge mental health stigma, while research on the Central Java Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) reveals public expectations for more humanistic and interactive communication. Similarly, analysis of @smbtelkom shows how visual and textual elements construct a modern and inclusive institutional image.

Beyond digital communication, research on electric vehicle subsidies in Indonesia emphasizes the importance of consistent long-term policy narratives, while research in Bali’s hospitality industry proposes a hybrid sustainability communication model combining technological efficiency with interpersonal storytelling. In the industrial and consumer sectors, communication is likewise essential for organizational ownership, effective workflows, and consumer engagement: research on automotive semiconductor manufacturing highlights the need to complement technical compliance with internal communication and shared responsibility, while studies of advertising appeals and Le Minerale demonstrate the importance of audience-relevant strategies, with humor engaging younger audiences and bottle design and pricing influencing purchasing decisions. Collectively, these studies underscore the importance of communication strategies that listen to stakeholders, deliver relevant and consistent messages, and build authentic relationships across public health, environmental, digital, policy, organizational, and consumer contexts.