The Greatest PR Clip of All Time

Imagine the New York Times taking your press release and running it verbatim. Unbelievable, right?! Well, it happened with the very first press release ever written.

Born in 1877, Ivy Lee is considered to be the father of modern PR and recognized for writing the first press release.

On the morning of October 8, 1906, a Pennsylvania Railroad crash killed 53 people in Atlantic City. That afternoon, Ivy Lee wrote the first press release and counseled his client to arrange for a special train to take reporters to the scene. Ivy wanted to get as much accurate information out to the press in order to prevent false rumors from circulating about the accident.

Impressed by the innovative approach to corporate communications, The New York Times printed Ivy’s first press release verbatim on October 30, 1906 as a “Statement from the Road.” Both newspapers and public officials praised the Pennsylvania Railroad for its openness and honesty.

And that’s the story of the first and greatest PR clip of all time.