Creating Control
However insidious the corporate machine allowed itself to be seen, it would still be unwise to believe all that is heard is necessarily true. Journalism thrived off of exorbitant claims, and demagogic fury equated to richer sales. Without a voice of their own, corporations could swiftly become easy prey for a newspaper’s campaign, so it ultimately became a necessary to create an agency to not only mitigate public opinion, but perhaps even flip it.
In 1906, The Publicity Bureau was formed. Created by a group of Boston journalists, it was spearheaded Ivy Lee. Lee has thus been called the ‘father of Public Relations’ and crisis control for his methods in influencing public opinion. The publication of his “Declaration of Principles” allowed the PR body to differ themselves from the sphere of advertising:
“This is not a secret press bureau. All our work is done in the open. We aim to supply news. This is not an advertising agency. If you think any of our matter ought properly to go to your business office, do not use it. Our matter is accurate. Further details on any subject treated will be supplied promptly, and any editor will be assisted most carefully in verifying directly any statement of fact…In brief, our plan is frankly, and openly, on behalf of business concerns and public institutions, to supply the press and public of the United States prompt and accurate information concerning subjects which it is of value and interest to the public to know about.” (Lee)
Lee’s goals were simple: display to the public accurate information regarding any event connected with a client, and open up a discourse to the public. This style of relations is known as his “two-way-street” philosophy, where the public was specifically targeted for communication, rather than be ignored. The press was also encouraged to participate. Lee would administer a prewritten statement to journalists on the scene, and create an actual presence for whichever client he was representing. This, of course, was thought unfavorable by the attending journalists.
These ideas are set in motion in John Dos Passos’ The Big Money, particularly in a scene where the character Dick Savage and his coworkers are discussing the power behind public opinion.
“I was just saying, Ed,” J.W. went on in his slow even voice, “that our talkingpoints should be first that they haven’t scratched the top of their potential market of seventyfive million people and second that a properly conducted campaign can eradicate the prejudice many people feel against propriety medicines and substitute a feeling of pride in their use.”
“It’s smart to be thrifty…that sort of thing,” shouted Ed.
“Selfmedication,” said Dick. “Tell them the average sodajerker knows more about medicine today than the family physician did twentyfive years ago.”
“They think there’s something hick about patent medicines,” yelled Ed Griscolm. “We got to put patent medicines on Park Avenue.” “Proprietary medicines,” said J.W. reprovingly. (Dos Passos 384-5)
J.W.’s idea that they must “eradicate the prejudice” is based upon the swaying of public opinion back in favor of their product. As discussed in the “A New Need” section, patent medicines were particularly vile to the public. Simple advertising of the product will not work; Savage and his coworkers must work to not change the actual product, but change how the image of the product is received. Substituting the word “patent” for “proprietary” heightens the prestige of the brand, thus winning the consumer’s confidence—‘If it’s good enough for Park Avenue, it’s good enough for me’. Instilling the consumer with confidence that their decision potentially trumps that of a doctor (“the average sodajerker knows more about medicine today than the family physician did twentyfive years ago”) creates a, probably false, mentality that, through their own agency and knowledge, they have cured their ailments themselves.
“Whether you like it or not,” Savage asserts later, “the molding of the public mind is one of the most important things that goes on in this country” (411).