Your essay about Edward Bernays is a welcome insight into the fundamental theorist about modern public relations.
Bernays was a highly successful and trusted practitioner of public relations as well as the person who pulled back the curtain and described P.R. to the world. Yes, he was -- to use a denotative term -- a propagandist.
But I fear you conflate Bernays with today’s media managers, who often turn newsrooms into one-sided propaganda shops, rather than sticking to straight-news reporting of stories about what people say and do.
They mix two distinctive and legitimate communication disciplines, public relations advocacy with journalism reporting.
Bernays is often called “the father of public relations,” but I disagree. Another American, almost two centuries earlier, deployed public relations to activate the population of Boston and other colonial Massachusetts towns to build a coalition that agitated for the American Revolution.
This American was Samuel Adams.
It was Adams (1722-1803), second cousin to John Adams, who began the Committees on Correspondence. Formed in the Town Meeting of Boston and other Massachusetts towns, the committees circulated letters setting forth complaints about British rule and reasons for independence.
This was a blog whose posts traveled not at the speed of light, but rather at the speed of a horse. Yet, over time, the difference between horse speed and light speed vanished and the effect on readers was the same.
A new and “wicked good” -- to use a Massachusetts idiom -- biography of Sam Adams was published last year. It is “The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams,” by Stacy Schiff. I confess it is on my Kindle, but I have not yet read it.
I will be interested to read the religious outlook of this revolutionary. According to Wikipedia, Adams was a Puritan Christian and a life member of what is now Boston’s Old South Church. (Not so old in his day.)
Like all activists, Adams both attacked and was attacked. As recently as the 20th Century, British biographies of Adams tarred him as a mob leader. Perhaps, but so much more than that.
I would love to upgrade to a paid subscription; however, your system only allows for using Apple Pay. Is there another pay option?
Freud’s nephew? Fascinating, never heard of him. Do like his sauce....😝
Greetings, Gary.
Your essay about Edward Bernays is a welcome insight into the fundamental theorist about modern public relations.
Bernays was a highly successful and trusted practitioner of public relations as well as the person who pulled back the curtain and described P.R. to the world. Yes, he was -- to use a denotative term -- a propagandist.
But I fear you conflate Bernays with today’s media managers, who often turn newsrooms into one-sided propaganda shops, rather than sticking to straight-news reporting of stories about what people say and do.
They mix two distinctive and legitimate communication disciplines, public relations advocacy with journalism reporting.
Bernays is often called “the father of public relations,” but I disagree. Another American, almost two centuries earlier, deployed public relations to activate the population of Boston and other colonial Massachusetts towns to build a coalition that agitated for the American Revolution.
This American was Samuel Adams.
It was Adams (1722-1803), second cousin to John Adams, who began the Committees on Correspondence. Formed in the Town Meeting of Boston and other Massachusetts towns, the committees circulated letters setting forth complaints about British rule and reasons for independence.
This was a blog whose posts traveled not at the speed of light, but rather at the speed of a horse. Yet, over time, the difference between horse speed and light speed vanished and the effect on readers was the same.
A new and “wicked good” -- to use a Massachusetts idiom -- biography of Sam Adams was published last year. It is “The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams,” by Stacy Schiff. I confess it is on my Kindle, but I have not yet read it.
I will be interested to read the religious outlook of this revolutionary. According to Wikipedia, Adams was a Puritan Christian and a life member of what is now Boston’s Old South Church. (Not so old in his day.)
Like all activists, Adams both attacked and was attacked. As recently as the 20th Century, British biographies of Adams tarred him as a mob leader. Perhaps, but so much more than that.