本文主要研究是藉由英國19世紀著名自由主義哲學家約翰·史都華·彌爾（John Stuart Mill，1806-1873）的《論自由》來探討自由在媒體與公關之間如何取得平衡及解決其兩者之間所衍生的相關議題。在這高度商業化與資訊化的時代近年來公關不僅為各大企業所重視，甚至公益團體至公家機關紛紛著重於公關行銷所帶來的市場效益以及它化危機為轉機的能力。這時「自由」成為公關的神奇魔法棒可點石成金，也如同迪士尼可以造就一座以假亂真的人間樂園。在這資訊爆炸的時代，人人關心大眾的議題「自由」為媒體工作者所高度需求的手段。「自由」如同一把兩面刃可使閱聽者滿足無窮無盡的求知慾，另一方面卻可能對社會或個人帶來不可抺滅的傷害。 約翰彌爾的《論自由》闡述了社會發展最重要也是最基本的「自由」核心：如果一個人沒有危害別人的安全，不管是國家政府、社會權威、公共輿論還是其他個人，都不應去干涉這個人的自由。《論自由》正是以「一個人的自由是不應該被干涉的，除非是危害到他人」為核心思想與基礎理論。公關從業人員與媒體工作者之間的「自由」，如同雙胞手足看似相同卻性格迥異卻互為彼此的緊箍咒。因此本文欲運用《論自由》的核心價值分析論證並解決其二者之爭執與矛盾，加上以哲學思考方式並輔以案例進行舉例並論證，來探討公關從業人員與新聞工作者之間各自表述之「自由」如何取得屬於自己的空間並各自安好甚至各為助益的平衡狀態。 ;This paper aims to explore how freedom is balanced between media and public relations through an analysis of John Stuart Mill′s On Liberty, a seminal work on liberalism in the 19th century. In today′s highly commercialized and information-driven era, public relations is not only valued by major corporations, but also by non-profit organizations and government agencies for its ability to generate market benefits and turn crises into opportunities. "Freedom" becomes a magical wand for public relations, just as Disney can create a lifelike wonderland. In this age of information explosion, "freedom" is a highly sought-after means for media workers to address public issues. On Liberty states that if a person does not harm the safety of others, neither the state government, social authority, public opinion, nor any other individual should interfere with that person′s freedom. This paper analyzes the core value of "freedom" in On Liberty and seeks to resolve the disputes and contradictions between public relations practitioners and media workers, who appear to have similar yet distinct views of "freedom." By using philosophical reasoning and case studies, this paper aims to explore how public relations practitioners and media workers can secure their own space of "freedom" and achieve a balance that is mutually beneficial.
