Bernays saw good public relations as counsel to clients. He called the public relations practitioner a "special pleader." The concept was modeled partly on the long-established lawyer-client relationship in which the lawyer, or counselor, suggests courses of actions. Because of his seminal role in defining what public relations is, Bernays sometimes is called the Father of PR, although some critics say the honor should be shared with Ivy Lee.

No matter, there is no question of Bernays' ongoing contributions. He taught the first course in public relations, in 1923 at New York University. Bernays encouraged firm methodology in public relations, a notion captured in the title of a book he edited in 1955: The Engineering of Consent. He long advocated the professionalization of the field, which laid the groundwork for the accreditation of the sort that Public Relations Society of America has developed.

Throughout his career, Bernays stressed that public relations people need a strong sense of responsibility. In one reflective essay, he wrote: "Public relations practiced as a professional is an art applied to a science in which the public interest and not pecuniary motivation is the primary consideration. The engineering of consent in this sense assumes a constructive social role. Regrettably, public relations, like other professions, can be abused and used for anti-social purposes. I have tried to make the profession socially responsible as well as economically viable."

Bernays became the Grand Old Man of public relations, still attending PRSA and other professional meetings past his 100th birthday. He died in 1993 at age 102.

Lange studied photography at Columbia University, then set up a portrait business in San Francisco. Soon, though, she moved into photo documentaries. Her 1932 photo, "White Angel Bread Line," brought her work to wide attention. It showed a grizzled, unshaven, broken man, his back to a bread line. The stark contrasts, typical of Lange's work, made it, along with "Migrant Mother" one of the great images of the era.

The declaration set Lee apart from other publicists of the time, establishing a new approach for corporations and other institutions, and individuals too, to curry the public's favor.

One of Lee's first clients was an association of coal mine owners who had simmering labor problems and were worried the government might side with the miners if there were a strike. The mine owners especially feared the government might nationalize the mines and send in the Army to operate the mines. Among Lee's initial actions a news release that announced: "The anthracite coal operators, realizing the general public interest in conditions in the mining regions, have arranged to allow the press with all possible information." Then followed a series of releases with information attributed to the mine owners. It was a radically different approach, a far cry from the mine owners' former preference for anonymity and refusal to grant interview requests. Also at Lee's advice, there were no more secret strike strategy meetings. When the mine owners planned a meting, reporters covering the impending strike were informed. Although reporters were not admitted to the meetings, summaries of the proceedings were issued immediately afterward. This new, relative openness eased long-standing hostility toward the mine owners, and a strike was averted.

Here are key features of publicity as practiced by Ivy Lee:

• Openness. When the Pennsylvania Railroad had a bad train wreck, Lee arranged for a special car to take reporters to the scene. The result: The railroad was applauded in the press for the openness, and coverage of the railroad, which had been negative for years, began changing..
  
  
• Positive Spin. When critics of International Harvester, a major farm implement manufacturer, accused the company of monopolistic practices, Lee issued a statement that the company was confident in its business practices and not only welcomed but also would facilitate an investigation. Lee put a positive spin on negative news.
  
  
• Executive Exposure. When a New York mob threatened multi-millionaire John D. Rockefeller after a militia massacre at one of his Colorado mines, Lee took Rockefeller to Colorado to meet the miners. By putting executives on display, letting people see them as fellow human beings, Lee felt negative preconceptions could be averted. In Colorado, Rockefeller and the miners ended up liking each other, and before he left there was a mining-camp dance to commemorate his visit.
  
  
• Straight Information. Ivy Lee came on the scene at a time when many organizations were making extravagant claims about themselves and their products. Circus promoter P.T. Barnum made this kind of hyping a fine art in the late 1800s, and he had many imitators. It was an age of puffed-up advertising claims and fluffy rhetoric. Lee noted, however, that people soon saw through hyperbolic claims and lost faith in those who made them. In contrast, Lee vowed to be accurate in everything he said and to provide whatever verification anyone requested. This became part of the creed of good practice in public relations, and it remains so today.