The Dilemma of Mr. Jones (1928)

An excerpt from Mr. Lee's Publicity Book, by Ivy Lee

Foreword

Ivy Ledbetter Lee is known today as one of the most significant figures in the formation of modern propaganda. Lee was born the son of a Methodist minister, in Cedartown, Georgia, 1877, but these humble roots did nothing to hinder his climb to the top. A graduate of Emory and Princeton, he went on to become a journalist for New York-based newspapers including the New York Times.

Following his time as a journalist, Lee moved into the management of publicity for major corporations, known today as public relations or simply “PR”. His client list was not insignificant. As an early success in his career, he was behind the quelling of concerns created by the 1906 Atlantic City train wreck. The public’s concern was remediated by Lee consulting the Pennsylvania Railroad Company to address the travesty in what has become known as the first press release, published in the New York Times.

More egregiously, he assisted the Rockefellers in cleaning their sullied name after the brutal Ludlow …