Public Relations on World PR Day 2025: A Bridge Across Polarization and a Path to Restoring Public Trust
to try: Mahdi Bagherian, APR, KPRI. IAPRSA
CEO, Kargozar Public Relations Institute
July 16, 2025 || In a world shadowed by conflicts—from media spaces to political arenas, from city alleys to elite think tanks—the theme “Building Bridges and Overcoming Polarization” is more than a symbolic slogan for World Public Relations Day; it is a vital necessity for the survival and progress of human societies. If public relations is to play a role beyond mere information dissemination in this complex, fragmented era, it must redefine itself—not merely as the voice of organizations, but as a bridge between voices.
The coincidence of this event with the anniversary of Dr. Hamid Notghi’s passing—the founder of public relations in Iran—is a valuable opportunity to revisit his vision. Notghi did not see PR as a tool of domination; rather, he envisioned it as a space for participation and sincerity, a platform for intersubjective dialogaue—not a reproduction of power. He emphasized social responsibility, active listening, and attention to people’s needs—principles that, more than ever, guide us toward building bridges and overcoming polarization
.In a world filled with loud voices and deaf ears, if PR is to be effective, it must not remain silent. It must listen. It must become a bridge between the silenced and the vocal, between the unseen and the visible. Trust cannot be rebuilt with one-way messages. Public relations must act as a form of human-centered diplomacy across societal layers—where conflicts are heard, not suppressed.
Today, PR must be more than a platform for broadcasting institutional positions; it must become a space for hearing diverse social voices and facilitating intergenerational and intercultural dialogue. It must reflect lived experiences, acknowledge pain, and transform empathy into action. PR should not merely reflect power—it must narrate social realities, especially those pushed to the margins.
To build bridges is to recognize differences, not to ignore them. It means believing that even in the height of disagreement, dialogue is possible. Public relations must equip itself with the tools of empathy, responsibility, and listening. It is no longer enough to be a spokesperson for institutions; PR must amplify the unheard voices of the people. Bridges are built with ears, not loudspeakers.
If PR aspires to bridge divides, it must not be the language of power, but the ear of society—attentive, perceptive, and compassionate. A message reaches its true destination only when it travels through human pathways. True public relations thrives not on positional superiority, but on human connection.
This year’s theme is a clear reflection of Notghi’s legacy—a man who saw PR not as a means of promotion, but as a tool for understanding. We are now the inheritors of that vision. In a media-saturated, digitally fractured global environment, we must return to the fundamentals: listening, mutual understanding, and rebuilding trust. The future of PR belongs to those who build bridges, not walls. And to build a bridge, we must first stop, listen, and find a path across.