A study tested effects of motives, communication style, and licensing (whether the practitioner is licensed or not) on public relations practitioners' reputations. Impression management theory suggests that perceived motives and self-interests may explain the poor reputation sometimes attributed to public relations practitioners. Subjects, 585 undergraduate students and non-student adults, read one of four brief news articles announcing plans of a fictitious manufacturer of laser printers to launch a laser cartridge recycling program in the local community. The four different types of news stories were combined with four different background information sheets on the motives of the public relations person responsible for the story to yield 16 different versions of questionnaires which were randomly distributed to subjects as they presented themselves to participate. Results indicated that (1) perceived motives to impression manage had a strong effect, with prosocial motives seen as a "hustle"; (2) mixed support was found for licensing as a means of enhancing reputation; and (3) communication style had no effect. Findings suggest that the time has come for public relations theorists, educators, and practitioners to shift their focus away from apologizing for the advocacy dimension inherent in public relations toward a renewed emphasis on ways that advocacy can become more effective and reputable. (Contains 137 references, nine tables of data, and 27 notes. Appendixes present the four stories, the four background information sheets, and a debriefing sheet. (RS)