CAS HI 230 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Edward Bernays, Yellow Journalism
5 May 2019
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1.) Liberal Disillusionment with Democracy - 1960s and 70s it’s liberals who are
disillusioned with the operations of the press.
a.) Lippmann and the Crisis of Journalism - Lippmann doesn’t buy into the “vanity of
neutrality” that most middle class families and Muckrakers looked to. In the
“Phantom Public” Lippmann argues that the private citizen today feels like a deaf
spectator in the back row, can’t quite manage to keep awake. Riots are viewed
as brutal organization instead of effective resistance. The public is no long
conceived of this middle class but rather the working class and the urban
masses, the readers of yellow journalism that like big photographs and
sensationalist writing.
b.) From Democratic Public to Irrational Crowd
2.) The Emergence of Public Relations and the Press Agent - it’s recognized in this
moment as a potentially progressive movement, viewed by some as a way to rationalize
the news and the concept of publicity itself
a.) Ivy Lee and the Impossibility of “Absolute Facts” - began working as a PR man
for the railroads, established a firm, wants to smooth over the bad reputation of
Rockefeller.
b.) Edward Bernays and “Herd Reaction” - became a leading figure in the field of
public relations, aimed to rid propaganda of its negative connotations. New
journalists or press agents are viewed as a “menace,” new york times described
these workers as “moochers, public mind molders.” Reflects the way they’re
looked upon as a threat to journalistic norms, a threat to reporting. Earned the
title of “father of public relations” for incessantly defending public relations
throughout the 1920s, composed the torches for freedom campaign, “Modern
propaganda is a consistent, enduring effort to create or shape events to influence
the relations of the public to an enterprise, idea or group.” We need propaganda,
just to organize society, in order to produce national kinds of movements or
energies in a certain direction, we need propaganda.
c.) Journalist’ Attitudes Towards Press Agents - Journalists have to now depend on
PR groups for press handouts and invitations to events.
d.) Public Relations and the Presidency - Roosevelt helped signal the new way the
presidency would interact with the press, Roosevelt managed and disseminated
news, using new tools to win over public opinion. Wilson goes and hosts bi-
weekly press conferences even though he’d openly admitted to detesting it.
William Harding coins the term “white house spokesperson”
e.) Propaganda and Press - writers will openly admit to the use of propaganda as a
way to achieving the news and shaping public opinion, the increased use of
bylines, specialist reporters
i.) Syndicated political columnist - important institutional acknowledgement
that there in additional facts there are individual interpretations
ii.) Journalists will develop this new ideal of objectivity, did this so daily
reporters will take their work seriously. Objectivity was viewed as
consensually validated statements.
Document Summary
Liberal disillusionment with democracy - 1960s and 70s it"s liberals who are disillusioned with the operations of the press. a. ) Lippmann and the crisis of journalism - lippmann doesn"t buy into the vanity of neutrality that most middle class families and muckrakers looked to. Phantom public lippmann argues that the private citizen today feels like a deaf spectator in the back row, can"t quite manage to keep awake. Riots are viewed as brutal organization instead of effective resistance. The public is no long conceived of this middle class but rather the working class and the urban masses, the readers of yellow journalism that like big photographs and sensationalist writing. b. ) The emergence of public relations and the press agent - it"s recognized in this moment as a potentially progressive movement, viewed by some as a way to rationalize the news and the concept of publicity itself a. )
