Even in the U.S., there are PR practitioners who rarely deal with journalists anymore. They practice a brand of PR that I don't know. Advising Indians about PR is unwise for me. Almost certainly, their practices vary from the U.S. model. That's as it should be.
Unpaid persuasion uses many forms, and all are valid.
The public has a fine-tuned sense of fairness. I am reminded of this because of the delayed reaction we are experiencing to the Clintons. Yes, we knew that he is a randy fellow who likes skating close to the edge. Yes, we knew that she is a hard-driving individual who might have been the brains behind some of her husband's success. Taking things from the White House was at most a peccadillo.