Public Relations
There is nothing new about public relations (PR). The first “publicity bureaus” were set up in the UK in the early 1900s and PR techniques were used by all sides in the First World War.
However, it was not until the early 1920s that private-sector companies began to use publicity bureaus, first in the US and then in Western Europe. PR was often known as “propaganda” ___ 31 ___ to the Second World War, but its use by the Nazis saw this term quickly disappear from the industry and turn into a form of abuse. Since then, propaganda and PR have been regarded as distinct entities.
Negative views of the PR industry as a whole are fuelled by the tendency of some big corporations to use agencies to deflect ___ 32 ___ away from damaging commercial activities. For instance, it has been widely reported that many of the US PR agencies that were involved in blocking anti-tobacco legislation are now working to block or overturn legislation designed to deter carbon consumption. In the main, they do so by promoting the view that the evidence over a particular issue – whether tobacco’s role in causing lung cancer or the notion that current global warming is mainly caused by human activity – is not ___ 33 ___ .
Media outlets are often easy targets for these strategies because debate makes for better discourse – whether on TV, radio or in written media – than ___ 34 ___ . While 99 out of 100 scientists in fields related to climate science may agree that global warming is in large part man-made, pitching one scientist against another makes for a “better” TV debate – and by “better” they mean more combative and confrontational.
___ 35 ___ , PR can also be used positively. It is a tool for communication between governments, companies and NGOs, on the one hand, and their citizens, customers, supporters and beneficiaries, on the other. When it promotes communication, it can be a force for good.
NEIL FORD, NEW AFRICAN