Abstract Title: Transparency within Public Relations – A study about PR-companies understanding of openness Pages: 71 Authors: Olof Ehrs Tutor: Virginia Melián Course: Media and Communication Studies, Bachelor Degree. Period: Autumn 2011. University: The Department of Journalism, Media and Communication, JMK,at Stockholm University. Background and aim: The PR-industry is continuing to grow in Sweden. The increase of working consultancies has made it more difficult to define what PR-activities really are in Sweden today. This exam reviews the presence and lack of transparency within the PR labour. The aim of the essay is to inspect the PR-companies relation to transparency and non-transparency. How do the PR-companies explain their working methods and ways to address openness within the PR-assignment? Method/Material: The method is qualitative interviews. My respondents come from three different PR-companies: Burson-Marsteller, Grayling and Kreab Gavin Anderson. Theory: A liberal and critical perspective provides a theoretical ground for my analysis. Different communication theories are also applied. I also explain the concepts and my definitions of Public Relations and transparency within PR. Main Results: Depending on perspective different results are to be acknowledged. My respondents always had legitimate explanations to why the work as they do. Market rules and laws are the main reason for strict secrecy and silence. From a critical perspective a lack of transparency is present almost everywhere. PR-consultancies make material that can be taken over by principals, news staff and politicians. We as citizens have big difficulties to identify the real senders and messages in PR-material regarding the strict secrecy. Keywords: Transparency, Secrecy, Public Relations, communication, accounting , strategy, target groups, PR-tools, PR-labour, PR-consultancies, media relations, lobbying, crisis management, news work, principals.