Edward Bernays

Today, it is without a doubt that public communication is at the heart of our economy, our politics and our society. It is being used in different aspects of society - studios use it to advertise their films. Advocates use it to encourage social causes. The businessmen use it to furnish their image. Politicians use it, for them to get elected. It is a field constructed on various ideas and images, many information and persuasion, tactics and strategy. There is no product or policy that will ever succeed without a clever message that targets the right audience or people in innovative and creative ways. To communicate strategically is one of today’s ability to communicate and what our programs are all about. Therefore, public communications

The documentary "toxic sludge is good for you" was very enlightening. Most of the times when you hear about people in public relations they are perceived as the people behind the scenes making a certain person or organization look better than they often would appear otherwise. Very early in the documentary the narrator stated "the very best PR is invincible PR", therefore this documentary was able

Bernays' life was amazing in many ways. He had a role in many of the seminal intellectual and commercial events of this century. "The techniques he developed fast became staples of political campaigns and of image-making in general," Tye notes. "That is why it is essential to understand Edward L. Bernays if we are to understand what Hill and Knowlton did in Iraq--not to mention how Richard Nixon was able to dig his way out of his post-Watergate depths and remake himself into an elder statesman worthy of a lavish state funeral, how Richard Morris repositioned President Bill Clinton as an ideological centrist in order to get him reelected, and how most other modern-day miracles of public relations are conceived and carried out."

By the early 1900s, some journalists began investigating and reporting on the questionable promotional practices businesses were using. Their efforts helped increase awareness of these tactics among the public. Public relations began to reinvent itself along journalistic lines: the new field of public relations attracted to journalists, who were more comfortable with objectivity and the dissemination of information.

Public relations serve many positive functions, to radio and television announcements of school closings and community events, they make us aware of what is happening around us. This type of public relations is needed and benefits the public without personal hidden agendas. However, there is a darker side to public relations that seeks manipulate an unsuspecting audience for their own personal gain. It is this type of public relations that the film Toxic Sludge is Good for You is unraveling. Through use of every kind of media communication and technology, public relations firms have set out to convince people that what they are saying is good for us (Toxic Sludge is Good For You [video file] Access to Restricted Library Resources, n.d.).

In an interview with Richard Weiner, “The Practice of Public Relations,” he argues that that the top management of an organization will often contract help from an outside agency. Weiner, chief executive of Richard Weiner, Inc., a major public relations agency in New York city, contends that an outside agency is more likely to be proficient in media relations, and thus, more capable of attempting to achieve significant publicity in major media. Management is more likely to respect, and act on, the advice of an outside counselor as compared to their staff (270, 271).

Early PR practices were deemed "press agentry" and were thought of a group that fell into a comparison with propaganda. This was because of the use of hype and manipulation of information. For the most part during development of the practice, there was little to no ethical boundaries. In the early 1900's however, there was a major focus on using factual information and labeling it public information, though somewhat manipulation, in order to help gain the public's interest or trust. This factual information however, was based solely around one-way communication, where the information was published simply for the knowledge of others, and not necessarily with the expectation that any action would come of the information. Of course the name of the game in public relations was always to convince someone to change or solidify their opinion on a topic or issue, in the

Heather Brooke once said, “Public relations is at best promotion or manipulation, at worst evasion and outright deception. What it is never about is a free flow of information.” Describing the endeavor desire for power can appear to be genuine flawlessness, however one ought to be watchful what they wish for, in light of the fact that that power may be precisely what causes their ruin. William Shakespeare's account of a man named Macbeth vividly explains the force of manipulating power within relationships.\r\nMacbeth’s destructive choices propelled the action forward because he was strongly influenced by the manipulations of others around him causing self-destruction. William Shakespeare’s patronizing play,

I find the aspect of buying what one desires versus what one needs very compelling especially today. As a society, we buy may more things than we need, and per the documentary we have Edward Bernays to thank for that. It is a great thing for the economy, but it is an attempt to fix our problems through buying unnecessary items. Something else I found very interesting is the views on democracy presented in the documentary. I have always believed it to be an active citizenship type of government like President Hoover envisioned; however, I can see how many people are simply passive consumers like Bernays thought. This passive leads to a power in big business and politicians because they can play off our irrational yet predictable

Edward Bernays came to the conclusion that the most effective censor worldwide is the civilian. This is because the person developed logic-proof compartments which cause one to comprehend things through collective responses instead of experience and reasoning. Judgments in the aspects of politics, economy, and morals are the outcomes of mob mentality rather than assessment done cool-headedly. There is a common system of principles agreed among members of the society. Thus, when one faces information that agrees with these principles, his beliefs are confirmed and he regards it as education. On the contrary, if the information one receives is not in line with his beliefs, he will treat it as propaganda. One thinks that he is perfectly rational and becomes oblivious to his evident mistakes. One is also reluctant to try understanding a conflicting viewpoint in an area which he possesses limited knowledge. The influence of the institution on the public, and vice versa, is a cycle which the institution provides the public ideas that benefit the majority of the society’s population, earning the public’s obedience and hence, when the institution stands for fresh ideas of worth that have not been embraced, the ideas would be recognised by the public. Through getting across distinctly a common viewpoint opposing the previous belief or supporting the new, the old authorities can be deemed unreliable and new authorities can be established.

Hey Alicia! I agree with your perspective on Edward L. Bernays, and find it motivating how successful he was by using both effective critical thinking and problem solving throughout his career in order to influence individuals. Forgot to mention in my previous post, but the quote he says to Bill Moyers in regards to Thomas Edison’s 50th anniversary of the Electric Light Bulb, “I never treated it as power. People want to go where they want to be led.” reveals the truth about Bernays’ character and how he is a true leader.

This paper was prepared during the Spring Semester of 2016 for COMM 226-003 - Introduction to Public Relations.

The most recent definition of public relations, according to the Public Relations Society of America (2012), states that “Public Relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.” Through the rapid advancement of modern media and technology, there have never been more outlets and opportunities available for accomplishing the goals of public relations. Believing the development of social media has not created serious changes in the way public relations practitioners go about their duties would be foolish and a fast track to falling behind in this rapid world of communication. The main goals of public relations are “to

Therefore Bernay gives us three tendencies of fundamental importance’s. Tendency number one, “increase public interest in industrial aggregations” (Bernay, 1923, p. 66). The first tendency basically tells PR practitioners that it is important to keep their clients and public happy. They need to find a way to make themselves stay relevant and keeping up with what the public want. Second tendency “the increased readiness of the public, due to spread of literacy and democratic forms of government” (Bernay, 1923, p. 66). News spread out like wildfires, when a controversy happens within the government or entertainment industry, public relations has to keep up with it and put that fire out, or else people will keep on misunderstanding and demanding information. Lastly tendency three, “keen competition for public favor due to modern methods of ‘selling’” (Bernays, 1923. P 66). The public relations field is as competitive like every other career fields out there. To be a good practitioner you need to have networking and being able to handle any sort situations, that is what will keep you high in the competition.

Only recently being recognized as a discipline in itself, modern day professional public relations practices can trace its roots to the early 1900s where the first public relations firm, the Publicity Bureau, was founded in Boston. In 1923, Austrian-American public relations pioneer, Edward Bernays, identified three fundamental concepts of public relations. In 1984, American theorists, Grunig and Hunt, conceptualized the now-famous four models of public relations and the excellence theory that were generally adopted by public relation agencies across the globe. With so many significant milestones and theories of public relations established in the United States, it stands to reason that public relation practices would naturally adopt a western perspective.