The misunderstood nineteenth century U.S. press agent

• Published in: Public relations review 2019-06, Vol.45 (2), p.246-257
• Main Authors: Russell, Karen, Myers, Cayce
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 19th century; Deception; Mass media; Media coverage; Motivation; News media; Press agentry; Public relations history; U.S. media history
• ISSN: 0363-8111; 1873-4537
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pubrev.2018.12.010

•Press agentry was a profit motivated media relations practice.•Press agents were not exclusively an unethical PR antecedent.•American press agents worked in a variety of sectors during the 19th century.•Press agentry was a sophisticated practice that utilized multiple strategies.•U.S. press was ambivalent toward 19th century press agents. Analysis of press coverage of nineteenth century American press agents indicates that, although press agents worked in a variety of sectors, their primary motivation was profit, their main strategy was media relations, and their tactics often relied on hype or outright lying. These characteristics would appear to support previous descriptions of press agentry, yet the research also shows that the press was more ambivalent toward press agents than previously assumed and that press agents’ strategies and tactics may have been more sophisticated than previously understood. A number of early practitioners of press agentry are identified for further study.