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In 394 A. D, SST. Augustine was a professor of rhetoric in Milan, he delivered the regular eulogies to the emperor and was the closest thing to a minister of propaganda for the imperial court. Thus, SST Augustine was one of the first people in charge of public relations. The modern equivalent would be the presidential press secretary. In 1 776, Thomas Paine wrote “The crisis” a pamphlet which convinced the soldiers of Washington army to stay and fight at a time when’s many were prepared to dessert so they could escape the cold and hardship of winter.
Paine was a master of political propaganda whose writing could get people to o things and believe things. Benjamin Franklin made it a rule to forbear all contradiction to others, and all positive assertions of his own-Franklin pioneered the rules for personal relations in an era before mass media had made possible a profession called public relations. In the middle 1 9th century appeared a man who was to become one of the leading publicists of all time, P. T Barnum. His accomplishments include the founding of the American museum and the establishment of the Barnum and Baileys circus.
He was a master of promotion who could fill his enterprises with customers by using what today we call adverts. William steward, Lincoln secretary of state in 1861, gained a large American audience through his understanding of how to use the press. Publics relations became a profession in 1 903 as Ivy lee undertook to advise john D. Rockefeller on how to conduct his public relations. Rockefeller owned coal mines and Pennsylvania railroad, miners were on strike and the railroad hushed up the facts when its trains were involved in accidents.
Lee advised him to visit the coal mines and talk to the miners, of which he spent time listening to complaints of the miners, improved their conditions and became a hero to the miners. After a rail accident, lee invited reporters to inspect the wreck and get the facts. Lee professionalisms public relations by following these principles; 1. Tell the truth 2. Provide accurate facts 3. The public relations director must have access to top management and must be able to influence decisions. E defined public relations as the actual relationship of the company to the people and that relationship involves more than talk. The company must act by performing good deeds. Finally came the evolution of public relations through mass media. Throughout the years there have been many changes in the media that have effected the practice of public relations. The appearance and popularity of such tools as offset printing radio, television and magazines have each dramatically changed the way public relations professionals do business.
But no change has appeared as fast and as strong as the Internet. The Internet offers public relations professionals millions of opportunities to perform research and spread their message. This new medium has expanded both internal public relations and external public relations. From electronic mail to newsgroups to World Wide Web sites, professionals now have the chance to monomaniac with the person in the office next door, their consumers and the world. The possibilities are endless.
The pros and cons of this new media are still being debated by many professionals, but it is impossible to deny that the Internet has become a powerful force in the world of public relations, and it is hard not to recognize its potential for the future. Public relations professionals did not actually begin to take the Internet seriously until the 1 9905, and now many agencies are scrambling to catch up. Public relations offices are now expanding their tiffs to include specialists in interactive media, and many agencies that deal strictly with online PR have arisen.