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Email a friendSpin doesn't hit the mark
A BOOK that "uncovers the secret history" of the PR industry sounds a must for anyone interested in what used to be termed "propaganda."
Sadly, David Miller, who edited the fantastic Tell Me Lies: Propaganda and Media Distortion in the Attack on Iraq, and William Dinan's critique of spin and spinners, doesn't quite hit the mark.
In its favour, A Century of Spin is full of well-researched facts and quotes throughout. Take the sinister words of Edward Bernays, who is considered, along with Ivy Lee, to be the father of PR. "The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organised habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society."
The problem, however, is the lacklustre writing, combined with an unpersuasive set of arguments. One section in particular refers to how the US-based National Association of Manufacturers conducted a huge ad campaign to stress the benefits of "free enterprise," which is, without explaining this in more detail or providing any actual evidence, blamed for undermining the labour movement and the creation of a US welfare state.
For a more successful take on the origins of PR and its influence on societal habits and attitudes, I would recommend Adam Curtis's excellent BBC Four documentary The Century of Self, which is clearly an influence on the book's title and its early chapters, though, sadly, not on its overall quality.
JACK JOHNSON