“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 them
into line with what people want.” – Ivy Lee
Born in Georgia on this date in
1877, Lee was a journalist and publicity expert widely considered the founder
of modern public relations. While he
might be best known for his public relations work with major corporations, he
also worked – often for free – on behalf of many nonprofits including serving as
publicity director for the American Red Cross during WWI.
Lee espoused a philosophy sometimes
called the "two-way street" approach to public relations in which PR
consists of helping clients listen as well as communicate messages to their
publics. The author of a number of
books still referenced in P.R. courses around the world, Lee also is credited
with creating the first “news release” to tell a client’s story. He said it would be far better for
journalists to hear directly from an organization than hearing about them from
other sources.
Lee also created the first P.R.
campaign and became the first person named to a corporate P.R. position – both
while working for U.S. railroads. And, he
wrote what is considered to be the first job description for someone working in
corporate public relations.
His advice to corporate leadership was
simple: List and number top priorities
every day, and work each task in the order of their importance until it is
completed. Charles Schwab, then president of
Bethlehem Steel, said it was the most profitable advice he ever received.
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