John D. Rockefeller Inc.: Case Study

Although they were untrue, it still attracted public attention and defamed John D. Rockefeller Jr. and his family name (Seitel, 2006, pg. 29). These businessmen were so used to being in control and not answering to the people, that eventually all of the displeased public began voicing their opinions telling the businesses how they felt (Seitel, 2006, pg. 29).
Not knowing what to do, businesses tried to buy out journalists to silence them and to pay for advertisements in the newspapers (Seitel, 2006, pg. 29). This strategy did not work for long however because “the best way to influence public opinion was through honesty and candor” (Seitel, 2006, pg. 29). Out of this idea came the first great public relations counselor, George V.S. Michaelis

29). Theodore Roosevelt utilized the Bureau’s services by making extensive use of press conferences and interviews to get policies out to the public (Seitel, 2006, pg. 29). In 1902, William Wolff Smith created the first Washington D.C. agency (Lattimore et. al, 2011, pg. 31). In 1904, “the real father of public relations,” Ivy Ledbetter Lee joined George Parker to form the nation’s third public relations firm (Seitel, 2006, pg. 29). Lee believed that a company or organization should always tell the truth and that if the truth would hurt the company instead of help it, they would have to be honest “without fear” (Seitel, 2006, pg. 30). Lee also knew that if the public did not support a company, the company could not look to influence public opinion (Seitel, 2006, pg. 30). In 1914, Lee was recruited by John D. Rockefeller Jr. to help with the Ludlow Massacre, where the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company attacked over one thousand miners and their families (Lattimore et. al, 2011, pg. 30). Lee encouraged Rockefeller to tell the truth and to go into the town and