Origins
of Public Relations
The
practice of public relations has been on since the dawn of recorded history.
According to Patrick Jackson, public relations evolved from the basic need to
build and improve human relationships which existed immediately God created
Adam and Eve. Public relations is essential to human existence and communal
living. Although modern public relations evolved in the 20th century
it has ancient roots.
In virtually every great society through
history, the leaders understood the importance of influencing public opinion
through persuasion. Seitel (2001) recalls that archeologists found a farm
bulletin in Iraq that told farmers of 1800 B.C. the latest techniques of
harvesting, sowing and irrigating. The aim of the persuasion was that the more
food farmers grew, the better the citizenry are and the wealthier the country
became. This was planned persuasion to reach a specific public for a particular
purpose, in other words, public relations. As Edward Bernays has observed, ‘the
three main elements of public relations which are informing people, persuading
people and integrating people with people are practically as old as society.
The
force of public relations was visible in ancient Rome. This can be deduced from
the common phrase, Vox Populi, Vox Dei (the voice of the people is the voice of
God). Julius Caesar, one of the greatest of the Roman emperors, is said to be a
particularly master in the persuasive technique. When faced with an upcoming battle,
Caesar would rally public support through assorted publications and staged events
(typical of modern public relations techniques).
In
ancient Greece, a high premium was placed on communication skills. The best speakers
were generally elected to leadership positions. Greek politicians enlisted the
aid of sophists (individuals with rhetorical prowess) to help fight verbal
wars. This can be likened to the lobbyists of today who attempt to influence
legislation through effective communication techniques. Cutlip, Centre and
Broom state that rudimentary elements of public relations appear in
descriptions of the king’s spies in India. Apart from espionage the duties of
the Spies included keeping the king in touch with public opinion, championing
the king in public and spreading rumours favourable to the government. Equally,
public relations was used many centuries ago in England where the kings
maintained Lords Chancellor as “keepers of the king’s conscience”, as there was
an acknowledge need for a third party to facilitate communication and
adjustment between the government and the people.
.
The
spread of Christianity in the middle ages could be linkened to the use of
public relations in modern times. Under the leadership of Pope Gregory XV, the
Catholic Church established a college of propaganda to help propagate the
faith. The committee of cardinals known as Congregation de Propaganda Fide (the
congregation for the propagation of faith). The church simply wanted to inform
the public about the advantages of Catholicism. This was the origin of
propaganda and it has been suggested that the roots of public relations lie in
the development of
propaganda.
Efforts to communicate with the force of public opinion go back to antiquity, on
the tools, degree of specialization breadth of knowledge, and intensity of
effort are relatively new. In the words of Cutlip, Centre and Broom public
relations has existed since the drawn of mankind. From crude methods in
primitive society, PR has followed trends in civilization advancement in
culture has resulted in more sophisticated method of PR. By Mathayo Syekye.
