The news release is very common nowadays, but the first press release was created October 28, 1906. It was written by Ivy Lee after the a Pennsylvania Railroad car jumped a trestle in Atlantic City, NJ and fell into the Thoroughfare creek.
Later that day Lee, who is now commonly considered the father of modern PR, wrote the first press release. It was difficult to convince Pennsylvania Railroad to release a public statement, but he was able to do it. Not only that, but he also got them to set up a railroad for the press that led to the scene of the accident.
The Reaction
This was the first time a company had done anything like this, so they were not sure what the media and public reaction would be. The feedback was extremely positive. The company was praised for its openness and honesty, and The New York Times published the public address verbatim, which is almost unheard of for PR practitioners today.
Ivy Lee tried this new approach again when a coal operating company went on strike. This time the media did not respond as favorable. They angrily declared that it was a “ad disguised as news,” and it was meant to sway the news coverage.
Principles
Lee issued a declaration addressing this issue, and is summarized as follows:
- The work is done openly
- Its aim is to supply news
- The media is under no obligation to use it
- It is accurate
- It is verifiable
The press release has come along way since then, but these principles still apply to modern day PR practitioners. Yes, it is true that the goal is to receive positive media coverage, but everything that is said must be true and newsworthy or the likely hood of getting any part of the release published is minimal. We have many more tools available to us nowadays. Learn about 5 ways to use Twitter.
No comments:
Post a Comment