PUBLIC RELATIONS

DEVELOPMENT OF PUBLIC RELATIONS

Public Relations(PR) as defined by the Institute of Public Relations – Ghana is the distinctive management function that identifies , analyzes, establishes and maintain mutually beneficial relationship between an organization and the various publics on whom its success or failure depends on. The practice of PR has passed through a number of stages and as such a lot of people had contributed to its present state. Key among these contributors is P.T BARNUM, EDWARD BERNAYS, IVY LEE AND ARTHUR W. PAGE, also known as the fathers of PR. Their contributions to PR could be seen in different directions, due to the era each of them found themselves. The various ways in which they contributed to the profession is what has been couched by Grunig and Hunt’s as the ‘four models/traditions of PR’. These traditions describe distinct approaches to public relations in the context of a 130-year time-line that show public relations have evolved. These four models are the Press Agentry/Rhetorician/Publicity, Journalistic/Public information, Persuasive/Asymmetrical, relationship-building/two-way communication/symmetrical models.

Phineas Taylor Barnum (July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891) contributed immensely to the PR profession. He was an American showman businessman and entertainer, remembered for founding the circus. Although Barnum was also an author, publisher, philanthropist and sometimes politician, he said to himself, ‘I am a showman by profession’. He founded a weekly paper called ‘The herald of freedom’ in Danbury in 1829. Barnum started as a storekeeper and he learned haggling, striking a bargain and using deception to make a sale. P.T Barnum is often associated with the Press Agentry/Rhetorician/publicity model. In this type of model it is a one-way communication and uses persuasion and manipulation to influence audience to behave as the organization desires. Here, truth was not necessary, with roots in the 19th century press agents worked to influence public opinion by creating news. P.T Barnum was a master of the art form, weaving fantasy and half truths into his messages. Press agents were liars at least some of the time- but it got their clients into the headline and that were what mattered. The aim is behaviour manipulation. This model is much realized in P.T Barnum’s contributions when in 1835, he began as a showman with his purchase and exhibition of a blind and almost completely paralyzed slave woman, Joice Hieth claimed by Barnum to have been the nurse of George Washington, and to be over 160. The truth in this was Joice Hieth died in 1836 and her age is not more than 80. As part of his manipulative ways of contributions, P.T Barnum exploited Tom Thumb. Aside Tom Thumb (the smallest person that ever walked alone) who was then four years of age but was stated to be eleven, he used the profits from the Lind (Jenny Lind) tour for his own business but used Jenny Lind as a means to persuade people. A feature associated with this model is persuading and manipulating people to accept your line of thinking and as such Barnum’s next challenge was to change attitudes about a theater from ‘dens of evil’ to palaces of edification and delight, respectable middle class entertainment. In doing this, he built the largest and most modern theater and named it ‘moral lecture room’, to avoid seedy connotation and to attract a family crowd and about to get the approval of the moral crusaders of New York City. He became a rhetorician (good public speaker) when he started a lecture tour, mostly as a temperance speaker.

Edward Louis Bernays (November 22, 1891- March, 1995) was a US pioneer in the field of PR. He was one of the first to attempt to manipulate public opinion using the subconscious. Bernays the originator of modern public relations was named one of the 100 most influential Americans of the 20th century by life magazine. He felt manipulation was necessary in society, which he regarded as irrational and dangerous as a result of the ‘herd instinct’ that Trotter describes. Due to the era in which he found himself, he is known to have contributed to the PR profession using the persuasive/asymmetrical model. While asymmetrical communication is two way, the goal is anything but balanced. It’s all about persuasion to trigger a transaction, thus its popularity with marketers. Bernay’s PR efforts helped to popularize Freud’s theories in the United States. He also pioneered the PR industry’s use of psychology and other social sciences to design its public persuasion campaigns. He couched the statement “if we understand mechanism and motives of the group mind, is it not possible to control and regiment the mass according to our will without their knowing about it? The recent practice of propaganda has proved that it is possible, at least up to a certain limits”. Bernays began his career as press agent in 1913, counseling to theaters, concerts and the ballet and as part of his persuasive contributions to PR; he worked together with Carl Byoir and John Price Jones to influence public opinion towards supporting American Participation in World War 1. Also, one of his favourite techniques for manipulating public opinion was the indirect use of ‘third party authorities’ to plead his client’s causes. According to him ‘if you can influence the leaders, either with or without their conscious cooperation, you automatically influence the group which they sway’. In order to promote sales of bacon for example, he conducted a survey of physicians and reported their recommendation that people eat heavy breakfast. He sent the results of the survey to five thousand physicians along with publicity touting bacon and eggs as a heavy breakfast. As part of his contributions to the profession he held the first public relations course at the University of New York in 1923. Publishing the first ground breaking book on public relations entitled ‘crystallizing public opinion’. Much of Bernays reputation today stems from his persistent public relations campaign to build his own reputation as America’s number one publicist. During his active years, many of his peers in the industry were offended be Bernay’s continuous self promotion. According to Scott Cutlip,” Bernays was a brilliant person who had a spectacular career, but, to use an old fashioned word, he was a braggart.”

On the par with Edward Bernays as the most sought after public relations counsel of decade was Ivy Lee (July 16, 1877 – November 9, 1934). His contributions can be seen in relation to the Journalistic/public information model. Somewhere in the early 20th century enlightened PR types shifted toward truth and accuracy in communication, but they did little more than distribute information. Acting in the role of “journalist in residence,” a PR person under the public information model used no formal research to guide his work. But the move away from pseudo events and half-truths was a significant shift toward more ethical practices. One-way communication is the focus of the public information model. Press releases, brochures, even static Web content, are tools used by these information dispensers. They tell the story and hope someone is paying attention. Ivy lee worked as a newspaper reporter and stringer. He is considered by some to be the founder of modern public relations and the first to practice real PR. He found himself in era where journalists were prominent and it was an era that real PR was practiced. In this model it acknowledges the public’s right to information. In this respect, he together with George Parker established the united state’s 3rd public relations firm, in late 1904. Lee evolved his philosophy in 1906 into the ‘declaration of principles’, the first circulation of the concept that PR practitioners have a public responsibility that extends beyond obligations to the client. As part of his contributions to PR, after an accident (the Pennsylvania railroad), that same year, Lee issued what is often considered to be the very first press release convincing the company to openly disclose information to journalist before they could hear information from elsewhere. He propagated ‘the public has a right to information’. One key instruction he made was ‘tell the truth, because sooner or later, the public will find out anyway. And if the public doesn’t like what you are doing, change your policies and bring into line with what people want’. The public was no longer to be damned but was to be told the truth even if it was at the expense of the clients or organization. He encouraged his clients or organization to march their words with their action. In all this, he saw himself as a PR practitioner between the public and the organization as a laison. However, the term PR is to be found for the first time in the 1897 year book of railway literature. Lee is considered to be the father of modern PR when from 1913-1914, he successfully lobbied for a successful railroad rate increase from a reluctant federal government. It could be argued that lee’s direction had something to do with two- way communication model, when he espoused a philosophy consistent with what, has sometimes been called the ‘two-way streets’ approach to PR. In which PR consists of helping clients, listen as well as communicate messages to their publics. In practice however, Lee often engaged in one way propaganda on behalf of clients despised by the public.

Arthur W. Page, the first person in PR‘s position to serve as an officer and member of the Board of Directors of major public corporation. He also served as vice president of public relations for the American telephone and telegraph company form 1927-1046. He is often associated with relationship-building/two way communication/symmetrical model. This model uses communication to negotiate with publics, resolve conflict, and promote mutual understanding and respect between the organization and its public(s). The 2-way symmetrical model casts public relations in the role of mediator versus persuader. Under that model, PR pros listen to the concerns of both clients and key publics and help them adapt to one another. The PR professional must represent the interests of ALL parties while being paid by only one. It works well with enlightened management who take a long-term view, but they’re rare birds these days. In this model the one or organization giving the information expects feedback and works with it. Change is expected at tow levels – the organization and the public depending on the feedback generated. Communication is used to manage conflict and it is in a form of dialogue and more reciprocal. The relationship between the organization and the public should be balanced. The boundary spanning theory is prominent- the PR practitioner has two levels of communication. That is externally and internally. Arthur page was distinguished as an outstanding public relations practitioner, churchman, educator and statesman. He propagated that “all business in democratic country begins with public permission and exists by public approval”. As part of his contributions propagated an aspect of the boundary spanning theory which is the systems theory that states that an organization is an entire system and it has various parts that must work together. In view of this, Page practice d seven principle s of PR management as a means of implementing philosophy. The principles of business conduct for which he became known have influenced thousands of American thought leaders during the past six decades.
• Tell the truth. Let the public know what's happening and provide an accurate picture of the company's character, ideals and practices.
• Prove it with action. Public perception of an organization is determined 90 percent by what it does and 10 percent by what it says.
• Listen to the customer. To serve the company well, understand what the public wants and needs. Keep top decision makers and other employees informed about public reaction to company products, policies and practices.
• Manage for tomorrow. Anticipate public reaction and eliminate practices that create difficulties. Generate goodwill.
• Conduct public relations as if the whole company depends on it. A corporate relation is a management function. No corporate strategy should be implemented without considering its impact on the public. The public relations professional is a policymaker capable of handling a wide range of corporate communications activities.
• Realize a company's true character is expressed by its people. The strongest opinions -- good or bad -- about a company are shaped by the words and deeds of its employees. As a result, every employee -- active or retired -- is involved with public relations. It is the responsibility of corporate communications to support each employee's capability and desire to be an honest, knowledgeable ambassador to customers, friends, shareowners and public officials.
• Remain calm, patient and good-humored. Lay the groundwork for public relations miracles with consistent and reasoned attention to information and contacts. This may be difficult with today's contentious 24-hour news cycles and endless number of watchdog organizations. But when a crisis arises, remember, cool heads communicate best.
In conclusion, all the traditions or model still exist in modern PR. Press agentry is alive and well in the entertainment business to this day. The public information model can be witnessed in higher education; in addition to that, Government PR folks also do a lot of one-way storytelling to “get the word out.” The Persuasion / asymmetrical model. Grunig and Hunt called it “scientific persuasion,” and it remains the stock-in-trade of advertisers everywhere. Today’s amoral, profit-lusting business environment doesn’t leave much room for the two (2)-way symmetrical model, which, by definition, may not be self-centered. Makes it hard to justify shareholder greed and seven (7)-figure bonuses when you have to worry about fairness, balance and the whole “relationship” thing.