On October 28, 1906, a terrible accident occurred in New Jersey. Over 50 people met their end when a three-car train, run by the Pennsylvania Railroad, jumped a trestle to plunge into a road creek. A gentleman representing the Pennsylvania Railroad convinced the company to distribute a public statement on the accident. The company also arranged a special train to ferry reporters to the accident site on his persuasion. He drafted the public statement published by the “New York Times” on October 30, two days later, as a ‘Statement from the Road.’ That was the first press release ever recorded, for which the gentleman who was in the thick of things — Ivy Lee — became known as the father of modern PR. The 1906 Atlantic train wreck, as the accident came to be known, established ‘crisis communication’ as an essential aspect of commercial enterprises. It established public relations as a specialized field and gave publicists a key space in business operations.
Years later, Jordanna Stephen, a celebrated publicist, instituted October 30 as National Publicist Day as a tribute to that landmark event. Since 2015, every year, publicists are celebrated for their excellent behind-the-scenes work.
On this day, publicists and people associated with public relations conduct events, seminars, conferences, and generally catch up on all that is going on in their profession. Since publicists primarily work behind the scenes, it is a day for them to step out and pat themselves on the back for ensuring that people receive proper communication. Public Relations is often thought of the same as marketing, and while the two overlap, there are distinct differences. Their roles have become more critical today, with the internet speeding up the rate at which news travels. It becomes essential that the correct information reaches the general public before they fall prey to fake news and rumors.
