《the light of publicity in the progressive era》.pdf

KEVIN STOKER AND BRAD L. RAWLINS The Light of Publicity in the Progressive Era From Searchlight to Flashlight This article examines the connotative evolution of the term publicity. An historical analysis of articles imtten in magat^ines, journals, and nempapers from 1890 to 1930 illustrates bow corporations and government co-opted ideas of the progressive movement into self servingpructices. Progressives vieu^edpublicity as a moral reform that would open politics and business to public scrutiny and help prevent corruption. Over time, publicity evolved into a communication strategy for corporations seekingpublic approval This study found that the change from a broad searchlight of publicity to a narrowflashlight of positive information in the hands of public relations experts allowed business and government to shape public opinion rather than be influenced by it. uring the progressive era, a mix of businessmen, social 1920s, such optimism about publicity had died out. Instead of prais- reformers, and educators sought to restore moral and civic ing publicit), journalism professor Roscoe C.E. Brown condemned Dpurit) by reforming business, society, and government, it as a weapon used by corporations to control public opinion. For Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Richard Hofstadter snid him, publicity was another form of propaganda used by great progressives wanted baek the economic independence and politi- corporations whose representatives stand guard at many sources cal freedom destroyed by great corporations and corrupt political of news, fending off the too keen inquirer and leaving th