Abstract
History informs us about the past and provides directions to guide good decision making for the future. History provides windows to the past, preparing us for challenges and opportunities to come. Knowledge of the history of various fields of mass communication like public relations, advertising, journalism, social media, etc., provide an understanding of the origins, key figures, developments, impact, and current state of these important fields. Media history examines the history of communicating information, knowledge, and values to audiences worldwide. It helps us to better understand the historical dynamics of media and communication structures, as well as their impact on various societies (Dooley et al., 2015).
Public relations – the management of persuasive communications between individuals or organizations and their various publics, has had an interesting history. Public relations developed from traditional forms in various cultures, through press agentry, up until World Wars I and II, when it was combined with various mass media to create propaganda, further peace efforts, and promote contemporary globalization (Ephraim, 2014). Contemporary public relations is facilitated majorly via digital media platforms, including social media, mobile apps, and artificial intelligence, to promote the corporate images and support marketing projects of individuals, organizations, and governments (Ephraim, 2019).
Existing narratives of public relations history tend to offer compartmentalized accounts that privilege a corporate perspective, highlighting the positive contributions of historical figures like Ivy Lee, Edward Bernays, Dan Edelman, to mention but a few. Other historical accounts highlight the changes that made public relations practice more ethical and professional.
In Public Relations History: Theory, Practice, and Profession, Cayce Myers, Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Communication, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, USA, argues that the history of public relations is multi-layered and a bit messy. It is full of good and bad deeds of people who sought to leverage public relations for self-serving purposes. The author states that public relations grew organically, emerging overtime from various sectors working in tandem, often unaware of each other’s existence for example in the USA and in Western Europe. Myers provides a historiography of public relations, presenting it as an action and as a practice.
The book is divided into 10 chapters. Chapter one addresses issues in public relations as a profession, including a critique of various definitions by scholars and professional organizations. Chapter two examines the historiography of public relations, highlighting historical developments in different divisions of the profession. Chapter three focuses on how socio-political influences in the USA and UK shaped public sentiments and attitudes towards public relations. Chapter four deals with the impact of audience research on the profession, especially the impacts of propaganda and public opinion.
Chapter five focuses on how wars and other conflicts shaped the history of public relations, introducing innovations and informing ethical principles. Chapter six deals with the non-profit sectors, including religious organizations and NGOs; how public relations was applied in notable fundraising campaigns. Chapter seven is about the impacts of industrialization and new communication technologies; how these have contributed to shaping contemporary public relations practice. Chapter eight examines the development of professional practice, by discussing various historical acts especially from entertainment and politics. Chapter nine is about the role of ethics in shaping the profession. The author argues that ethical principles developed by key public relations associations, helped to standardize public relations practice globally. The author also mentions some developments in non-western contexts. In the final chapter, the author discusses the future of the history of public relations.
Each chapter has an introduction, sub-divisions, and a set of discussion questions to test the reader’s knowledge of concepts discussed in the chapter. Teachers of public relations will find this feature useful for generating formative and summative assessment questions. There are also bibliographical notes to direct further reading.
However, the book has a few shortcomings. The outlook of the book is predominantly Western, with a strong bias for the USA and the UK. The author gives detailed accounts of historical developments, key figures, laws and policies, and ethical changes in public relations in these countries. This gives the impression that professional public relations practice developed and thrives only in Western societies. A few non-western countries like China and Saudi Arabia are mentioned in passing. For example, in chapter nine, the author mentions that African public relations is heavily influenced by a Western-European colonial legacy. Here, the author takes for granted traditional systems of public relations that existed before colonialism in Africa. Ufuophu-Biri (2004) argues that systems of public relations existed in Africa before the coming of European colonialists. Pre-colonial public relations in most African societies was not codified and systematized but was however, functional and significant. Historical changes, laws, policies, and key figures in non-western contexts are not discussed in detail in the book.
Anani-Bossman and Tandoh (2023) argue that most public relations histories and theories are often based on Western practices with little focus on emerging economies such as in Africa; however, there is a growing desire for knowledge of public relations from non-western perspectives. In future, the author might want to make the book more globalized and inclusive of the rich histories of public relations from non-western contexts. Chapters could be dedicated to exploring Africa, Asia, The Middle East, etc. Historical inclusion will broaden the book’s appeal and functionality beyond majorly Western contexts.
There are also minor structural shortcomings. In future, the author might wish to include some learning outcomes at the beginning of each chapter, these will aid teachers and students of public relations using the book for academic purposes. A list of learning outcomes will help to direct reading.
Despite a few shortcomings, the book offers new ways of thinking about public relations history, by critically examining the positive and negative changes in professional practice over the decades. It would serve advanced students of public relations, faculty, and practitioners interested in expanding their understanding of the legal, socio-political, and cultural changes that shaped contemporary public relations practice.
