Ten years ago, Stuart Ewen’s book PR! A Social History of Spin was published. Ewen offers a stridently leftist take on the PR industry (he doesn’t like us), but it’s also a fascinating read.

One of my favorite parts is seeing what the newspaper editors of the early 20th century had to say about Ivy Lee [pictured], who is now considered, along with Edward Bernays, one of the “fathers” of the public relations industry. Describing one of Lee’s campaigns,

The Toledo Blade reported that “throughout the Colorado troubles, pamphlets, circulars and letters fairly rained down upon the newspapers. It was a flood, a deluge. If it converted or influenced anyone, we have not heard of it.

“A broad reading of the American press indicated that the stuff went into the waste baskets throughout the country just as it did here. It swelled the postal receipts and added to the tonnage of houses that buy waste paper. But as for education, there was no result at all.”

Fast forward to 2006 and the editor of the Silicon Valley Blade:

Press releases are created by committees, edited by lawyers, and then sent out at great expense through Businesswire or PRnewswire to reach the digital and physical trash bins of tens of thousands of journalists.

This madness has to end. It is wasted time and effort by hundreds of thousands of professionals.

Thanks for continuing to play such a “disruptive role in mainstream PR,” Tom. What’s your next big idea — the steam locomotive?

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