thics "nalysis #he history of public relations isn$t somethin% that can &ust be put to a certain ate because public relations techni'ues ha(e been utili)e since the be%innin% of human communication* +n ancient ci(ili)ations, persuasion ,as use to %ain authority as ,ell as reli%ious follo,ers throu%h art, literature, speeches, sta%e e(ents, an many more techni'ues use in public relations* #he %reat Roman lea er -ulius Caesar ,as a master of public relation techni'ues* He ,as one of the first politicians to ,rite a book, ,hich helpe lea him to his (ictory in becomin% Roman !mperor* !(en in the .ible ,e can see patterns of public relations formin%* +n their book Managing Public Relations /10123, -ames 4runi% an #o Hunt escribe ho, the apostles Paul an Peter ,ere public
relation practitioners5 6Paul an Peter use speeches, letters, sta%e e(ents, an similar public relations acti(ities to attract attention, %ain follo,ers, an establish ne, churches*7 +t ,asn$t until "merica coloni)e an starte %ro, that public relations ,as practice an use formally* !arly colle%es such as Columbia an Har(ar use PR techni'ues to help promote their %ro,th an raise fun s* 8ater in the 1100$s ,as the a%e of hype ,here Press "%entry came into action* 9actual base information ,asn$t the top priority in this time perio * P*# .arnum %aine his fame throu%h his elaborate use of press a%entry* He create a museum that e:pose the eformities or rare con itions of certain in i(i uals for his o,n profit* He sho,case many people in his museum
inclu in% a stuffe monkey that ,as se,n to a fish, ,hich he calle the 69e&ee ;ermai 7* Startin% in the 1000s the shift from hype an press a%entry shifte o(er to a more factual an information base i ea of communication* +(y 8ee ,as the lea in% pioneer to this ne,foun approach* #hrou%h his e ication to %ettin% facts out to the public, 8ee ,as able to successfully keep the Pennsyl(ania Railroa in business after their e:penses ha risen fi(e percent* Shortly after in the 1020s a man by the name of ! ,ar .ernays utili)e the i ea of 6scientific persuasion7 into Public Relations* #hrou%h an e:tensi(e career in the fiel of public relations .ernays ,as name the 69ather of ;o ern Public Relations7* He utili)e social sciences an beha(ioral psycholo%y to base his campai%ns aroun to create a certain beha(iors in his au ience* Public relations has %ro,n e:ponentially o(er the eca es, but many of the practices that .arnum, 8ee, an .ernays con ucte are still use to this ay* +n to ay$s society thou%h public relations is seen more as relationship mana%ement* <e also (alue ethics a lot hi%her than they use to in the early years of public relations* !thics refers to the moral principles that %o(ern a person$s or %roup$s beha(ior* +t is al,ays a top priority to be ethical in e(erythin% you o* "lthou%h ,e are a,are it is ba to lie, steal, an cheat, it oesn$t mean that ,e are able to steer clear of all elin'uencies thou%h* Sometimes as humans ,e ha(e to eci e oursel(es ,hat ,e belie(e is ri%ht in any %i(en situation* So it is critical to try an keep to your morals an be truthful especially ,hen un er pressure or a%ainst the clock* P*# .arnum i n$t take ethics much into consi eration ,hen creatin% a museum full of uni'ue in i(i uals ,ho %aine attraction mostly by their stran%e an unusual appearances* !(en ! ,ar .ernays ha a slip up ,ith ethical issues in his campai%n ,ith
6#orches of 8iberty*7 .ack in the 1020s ,hen smokin% for ,omen in public ,as almost taboo, ! ,ar ha a %roup of beautiful youn% ,omen march in the =e, >ork !aster ?ay Para e all ,hile li%htin% up ci%arettes* +t cause a lot of attention to %o to,ar s tobacco companies in ,hich .ernays later reporte he ,oul ha(e refuse if he ha kno,n the an%ers of smokin% earlier* #he mo(ie Toxic Sludge is Good For You brin%s for,ar a lot of ethical issues ,ith PR* +n part of the mo(ie they escribe ho, the <ater !n(ironment 9e eration, ,hich is a <ashin%ton ?*C base Se,a%e Company, trie to %et ,riters to chan%e the name of the book before it ,as release * #hey ,ante the name chan%e because the se,a%e company claime to:ic slu %e to not be to:ic an they on$t use the ,or slu %e anymore* #hey no, call it 6biosoli s7 an try to pass it off as a natural fertili)er to sell to farmers* #hey e(en took the trouble to %et the name 6biosoli 7 put into the ictionary, thinkin% the professional name ,oul take a,ay from the is%ustin% truth* #his ,as hi%hly unethical an it coul $(e been (ery to:ic to eat foo that came form that soil* Companies such as these nee to really think about the safety or their consumer an take ethics to consi eration* Public relations ,ill al,ays face ethical issues as lon% as it is ealin% ,ith the public* >ou al,ays ha(e to consi er the publics interest an the stan ar s of the public relations profession* @eepin% a professional emeanor an ,atchin% out for the interest of those you are tryin% to persua e are key factors to successful PR* #ellin% the truth is hi%hly important as ,ell* +f people think of you as untrust,orthy they ,ont ,ant to belie(e anythin% you are tryin% to persua e them to belie(e*
Works Cited
<ilco:, ?ennis 8*, Phillip H* "ult, an <arren @en all* "%ee* Public Relations: Strategies and Tactics* =e, >ork, =>5 HarperCollins, 1002* Print*
Stauber, -ohn C*, an Shel on Rampton* Toxic Sludge Is Good for You: Lies, Damn Lies, and t e Public Relations Industr!* ;onroe, ;!5 Common Coura%e, 1005* <eb*