Free Deadly Spin by Wendell Potter Page B

more disturbing, the führer himself discussed manipulation of public opinion in his book, Mein Kampf , in terms that could be used by one of today’s PR counselors. Hitler wrote, “The receptivity of the great masses is very limited, their intelligence is small, but their power of forgetting is enormous. In consequence of these facts, all effective propaganda must be limited to a very few points and must harp on these in slogans until the last member of the public understands what you want him to understand by your slogan. As soon as you sacrifice this slogan and try to be many-sided, the effect will piddle away, for the crowd can neither digest nor retain the material offered.” 16
    Bernays fretted publicly about ethics in PR later in his life. Looking back, he said that had he known the dangers of tobacco, he would not have accepted the American Tobacco account. “No reputable public relations organization would today accept a cigarette account since their cancer-causing effects have been proven,” he wrote in 1986. 17 Also late in life, Bernays appealed to PRSA to police its ranks, arguing that circumstances allowed unethical behavior without any sanctions, legal or otherwise. “There are no standards,” he said. “This sad situation makes it possible for anyone, regardless of education or ethics, to use the term ‘public relations’ to describe his or her function.” 18
    LIKE WATCHING SAUSAGE BEING MADE—
OR WORSE
    The best public relations is invisible. While it’s easy to spot advertising—the stuff that blatantly urges you to go buy something—PR subtly convinces you to change the way you think. Advertising urges you to do something now; PR is patient. Advertisers pay for the time and space devoted to their messages. Good PR usually gets free media space because it is presented as unbiased information.
    Dedicated PR pros consider their profession a science, grounded in research, strategy, and evaluation. They’re trained to craft effective messages and to place them in media that will most effectively reach their target audiences. Good PR leaves little to chance. Good PR is about control.
    Large companies typically have large PR departments, in which individuals may be assigned to particular media or to segments of the firm. Structure is tight, and jobs are well-defined. Big firms, as well as many small ones, also use independent PR agencies, periodically or on an ongoing basis. Media relations specialists, whether company or agency, deal with news-media representatives, planting stories, spinning information to a client’s advantage, and choosing the best media to reach the target audiences.
    News releases explaining what happened at an event are commonly written before the event takes place. Corporate executives go through “media training” to prepare them for speaking directly to reporters. Mock press conferences are held to give execs practice. PR staffers prepare a list of expected questions and appropriate answers for them in advance of media interviews. Few politicians and virtually no business executives write their own speeches. All good executives, like politicians, are taught the cardinal rule: Stay on message.
    For many years, I was the designated media relations person, the company’s public presence, the mouthpiece for management. Mine was the face presented to the media whenever my company was in the spotlight, voluntarily or otherwise. Never—not once—did I answer questions or make statements on behalf of my employer without knowing in advance what I would say.
    PR people are good at manipulating news media because they understand them. A large number of practitioners are former reporters—like Lee and Bernays (and me)—who know what kinds of stories get attention, as well as who decides what gets coverage and what doesn’t. Conversely, news outlets are increasingly dependent on public relations departments and agencies for content. As budgets drop, especially at newspapers,