Two Fathers

One of the interesting things about the field of public relations is that it has two fathers. At various times by numerous scholars and historians, two of the field's most famous pioneers - Ivy Lee and Edward Bernays - have been called "The Father of Public Relations." Upon hearing that, one's initial reaction might be to challenge that declaration and say it does not make sense for any field or science to have more than one person be given such a distinct label. But then I think of the United States and how all of us are comfortable with historians writing about its "founding fathers." So, perhaps having just two is not so bad or confusing after all.  

While it is true that both Lee and Bernays were at the ground floor in the early 20th century when the profession of public relations began to really get underway, what is interesting is they both practiced and advocated diametrically opposite styles of public relations. Lee, under the heading of his famous "Declaration of Principles," said it was the role of PR types to simply share or report the facts about a client or issue without making any attempt to shape, sugar coat or manipulate them. Lee saw the role of public relations officer as being an objective conduit of information. On the other hand, Bernays, perhaps because he was influenced by his uncle Sigmund Freud, believed PR was a science of persuasion and mass manipulation. He, too, believed in honesty but he advocated presenting facts to the advantage of his clients.      

As to which vision of public relations is correct, that debate has not yet been settled. But in terms of which style is most utilized, then hands-down it is the one practiced by Bernays. It is rare in today's world to see public relations practitioners who are content to simply share unvarnished facts with a targeted audience, for example, and then leave it to that public to make up their own minds about an issue or a client. The temptation is too great to let people make up their own minds. This is not what organizations that hire PR professionals want. They want profit. They want people to like them. And they want communicators who can make that happen.