This volume presents a historical and objective overview of the field of public relations in the past century. It discusses some of the landmark cases in public relations, critiques the philosophies of innovators such as Ivy Lee and Edward Bernays, and explores how corporate public relations has affected economic and political trends. The author concludes by offering long-term alternatives for the future of public relations valuable to both practitioners and corporate executives.


The thesis of this volume is that a broad look at the whole philosophical pattern of journalism will show three central ideas achieving dominance sequentially. The first of these central ideas -- which Olasky terms "macro-stories" -- was called the "official story" since it overarchs the daily bits and pieces of journalistic coverage. Built on the belief that power knows best, and that editors should merely print whatever the king or governor demanded, published news quickly became what state authorities wanted people to know. Offering a fresh look at the legends of journalism, this book narrates the history of macro-stories (the "official," the "corruption" and the "oppression" story) in American journalism from its European beginnings in the 16th and 17th century through 1917.

The Press and Abortion

by Marvin N. Olasky

Published 1 October 1988
First Published in 1988. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.