events in the news. Negative Negative public relations, also called dark public relations (DPR), 'black hat PR' and in some earlier writing "Black PR", is a process of destroying the target's reputation and/or corporate identity. The objective in DPR is to discredit someone else, who may pose a threat to the client's business or be a political rival. DPR may rely on IT security, industrial espionage, social engineering and competitive intelligence. Common techniques include using dirty secrets from the target, producing misleading facts to fool a competitor. In politics, a decision to use negative PR is also known as negative campaigning. T.A.R.E.S. The T.A.R.E.S. is a five-point test that evaluates ethical persuasion and provides boundaries in persuasive practices. Truthfulness (of the message) examples Is this communicating something factually true and accurate? Does this downplay or diminish evidence? Am I creating a false narrative or image? Does this influence people to believe something that I do not believe myself? Authenticity (of the persuader) examples Will people question my honesty or integrity from this? Do I truly believe that what is being presented will benefit those who are reading? Do I support or advocate in the statement, person, or product? Respect (for the persuadee) examples Am I presenting statements in self-interest, or do I genuinely care about the issue, person, or product? Is this presented to persuadees who are rational, self-thinking beings? What ethical responsibility do I hold by presenting this information? Equity (of the persuasive appeal) examples Is this appeal fair and nondiscriminatory? Have I target persuadees who are not capable of understanding the claims and the context? Are the statements I present sensitive to various interests, needs, or concerns of the persuadees? Social Responsibility (for the common good) examples Have I unfairly stereotyped groups of society in my statements or actions? Will my statements or actions cause harms to various groups of society? Will there be any negative consequences against a group in society based on my statements or actions? Have I fairly presented issues that concern groups who may have been underrepresented in society? Are the statements or actions that are being communicated responsible to various societal groups, public interest, and the public? Politics and civil society In Propaganda (1928), Bernays argued that the manipulation of public opinion was a necessary part of democracy. In public relations, lobby groups are created to influence government policy, corporate policy or public