Proceedings of the First International History of Public Relations Conference July 8-9, 2010
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Proceedings of the First International History of Public Relations Conference July 8-9, 2010 Presentations by PowerPoint Presentations - 1 Günter Bentele, Leipzig University: PR-Historiography, a functional-integrative strata model and periods of German PR history Günter Bentele, Leipzig University: German PR History – Seven periods from the beginning of the 19th century to now Günter Bentele & Sandra Muhlberg, Leipzig University: Can Propaganda and Public Relations coexist? 'Socialistic Public Relations' in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) 1965-1989 David Berendt, Bournemouth University: Revealing historical evidence of public relations professionalization and commercialization: The early history of public relations education at Bournemouth University - Structure, evolution, people and curricula Patricia A Curtin & Lisa Forster, University of Oregon: Creating counternarratives: Harvey Company publicity and Native Americans: 1902-1936 Vincent Hazleton, Radford University (USA): ‘Theoretic Issues in Histories of Public Relations’. Robert L Heath, University of Houston: Evolution of Issues Management: John Hill, Tobacco Controversy, and the Battle of Scientists Thomas Hove & Richard T Cole, Michigan State University: Edward Bernays, the United Fruit Company and the Ethical Complexities of the Public Relations Counsel Presentations - 2 Jane Howard: The Evolution of UK PR Consultancies, 1985-2010 Owen Kulemeka, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign: All the old media were once new media: Public relations and new media technologies between 1950-1999 Conor McGrath: Charles Weller Kent: The UK's First 'Parliamentary Lobbyist' (1913- 1916)? David Remund, University of North Carolina - The World's Work: Arthur W. Page and the Movement towards Social Responsibility in Corporate Communications in the United States, 1913-1927 Gyorgy Szondi, Leeds Metropolitan University: Public Relations in Communist Hungary - A Historical Perspective Peter Syszka, University of Vienna: Public Relations in Germany – own or common history? Empirical findings – theoretical foundation – methodological consequences Donald K. Wright: A Critical Analysis of the History and Development of Public Relations Education in the United States and Canada Can there be a Co-Existence of Propaganda and Public Relations? The Case of “Socialistic Public Relations” in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from 1965-1989 Prof. Dr. Günter Bentele; Sandra Mühlberg, M.A. THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL HISTORY OF PUBLIC RELATIONS CONFERENCE; 8-9 July 2010; Bournemouth University Agenda 1. Public Relations in the GDR 2. Question of perspective: Definitions 3. Circumstances in the GDR 4. Propaganda – the dominating communication style 5. Public Relations as profession in the GDR 6. Example: Automotive industry 7. Conclusions Public Relations in the GDR Was it possible? Yes it was: • No “Black-out”: continuity from beginnings before WWII (Marius Lange) • Functional necessity: every organisation has to communicate • Evidences of existence: public relations was a proven profession in the GDR Public Relations in the GDR Literature review GDR Publications: • Five dissertations (1968-1974) deal with the professional field ’socialistic public relations‘ • First theoretical publication in 1979 on ’Theoretical Problems of Public Relations in the GDR‘ (by Herbert Wöltge, academic at the journalism university of the GDR) Other Publications: • 1984: article in the PR-Magazine ’Public relations in the GDR. Explanations about the theory and practice of socialistic information management‘ (by Wolfgang Swoboda) • 1997: congress for public relations in the GDR: ’Findings and positions of public relations and propaganda‘ • Comprehensive overviews of general aspects of public relations in the GDR by Günter Bentele Public Relations in the GDR Terminology The English term ’public relations‘ • originally introduced 1958 as a capitalistic phenomenon in an economical context in ’Neue Werbung‘ (by Alfred Klein, economist) • GDR wants to react to the phenomenon, using their own interpretation The German term ’Öffentlichkeitsarbeit ‘ • introduced 1964 in ’Neue Werbung‘ (by Alfred Klein) • as a clear difference to the capitalistic, anglo-saxon term ’public relations‘ The GDR term ’sozialistische Öffentlichkeitsarbeit‘ (socialistic public relations) • introduced 1968 to make a clear difference between ’capitalistic public relations‘ and ’socialistic public relations‘ (by Fred Merkwitschka in his dissertation ) Question of perspective: Definitions Propaganda in the GDR • Parent term for: ’systematic circulation and in-depth explanation of political; philosophical; historical ;economic; physiological and technical teachings and ideas‘ Kleines Politisches Wörterbuch (1988): Berlin: Dietz (7., vollst. überarb. Aufl.), p. 795 • Main aim of GDR propaganda: dissemination of socialist ideology at all levels and in all forms • Forms of propaganda: e.g. SED’s party schools; mass propaganda; communicative function of media; public relations Question of perspective: Definitions Public relations in the GDR • Understood as: ‘mass political activity by state and economic bodies; institutions and organisations. It is an indispensable component of general political and ideological engagement led by the party of the working class. Engaging in public relations [Öffentlichkeitsarbeit] is a principle of socialist administration in all areas and at all levels. ‘ Wörterbuch der Journalistik (1984) Sektion Journalistik der Karl Marx-Universität. Manuskriptdruck. Leipzig. p. 70 • Political-ideological function of all public relations in Socialism • like journalism; public relations in the GDR were a component of the SED’s political and ideological Agitation and Propaganda Circumstances in the GDR: The SED’s information monopoly • ’Top-down’ model: politics and public communication were organised unidirectional as power; control and information ’from above to below‘; political system dominated all spheres of society • Information monopoly: was the overriding principle of the East German Socialist Unity Party (SED) • ‘Major players’: – SED’s Central Committee (ZK) and the committee’s Politbüro – The Central Committee’s Secretary for Agitation – the principle officer of the SED’s Department of Agitation (and Propaganda) – played an important role in steering political communications Circumstances in the GDR Line of order in the media system General Secretary of the SED The Central Committee’s Commission for Media of the SED and Secretary for Agitation Agitation at the SED‘s mass organisations Politbüro The Central Comitee‘s State comitees for radio Departement for and TV Agitation ADN (news agency) The Press Office for the Minister-President Press of the bloc parties and churches Joachim Herrmann, The Central Committee’s Secretary for Agitation 1978-1989 Graphic by Gunter Holzweisig, own translation Circumstances in the GDR Media: ’the party’s sharpest weapon’ • Control: The Central Committee’s Secretary for Agitation (and Propaganda) was responsible for media ’guidance’ • ’Guidance’ of the media: issuing directives on topics or articles; use of language; listing ‘taboo’ topics; prescribing layout and timing; oral instructions at weekly briefings by the Central Committee – the so-called ‘Thursday conference’ • Direct or indirect editorship by the SED: 39 newspapers (the most important were Neues Deutschland and Junge Welt) • Monopoly of political information: The Press Office (executive members of the Council of Ministers) was the only source of political information • News agency monopoly: The German General News Agency (ADN) was the only news agency in the GDR and under the total control of the Secretary for Agitation Circumstances in the GDR Similarity of the GDR media Dominating communication style Propaganda: Propagandistic system Social structures at the macro-level (dominating political system): • Determined other systems ( media or economic system) • Influenced the organisational structures; scope; resources and regulations of communications of organisations at the meso-level • Forced the implementation of propagandistic directives • Is one of the prerequisites for a: . Propagandist style of communication in public communications . Propaganda as major (communicative) function of political PR Dominating communication style Propaganda: Propagandistic style • ‘Modern Propaganda (understood as an information and communication style of public communication) is defined here as an unidirectional; influential type of communication in which truthful information is subordinated or consciously bracketed out; generally uses simple means of communication (saturation; repetition; stereotypes; simplistic assessment; a mixture of news and opinion); often sentimental; mindful of distinct antagonists; and only deployed within the parameters of centralised; non-democratic social model; i.e. in systems in where the media are controlled by the state’. Bentele, Günter (1999): Propaganda als Typ systematisch verzerrter Kommunikation. Zum Verhältnis von Propaganda und Public Relations in unterschiedlichen politischen Systemen. In: Liebert, Tobias (Hrsg.) (1999): Persuasion und Propaganda in der öffentlichen Kommunikation. Leipziger Skripten für Public Relations und Kommunikationsmanagement, Nr. 4 (1999), p. 95-109. Dominating communication style Propaganda: Propagandistic style • information and communication style in public communications refers to an empirically diagnosable model of communication that is composed of a deliberate