Public Education for Democracy

"It is part of our democratic American heritage to abhor censorship." -Edward Bernays (1938)Edward Bernays wrote an important essay in 1938 entitled, "Public Education for Democracy." Bernays was the father of the modern public relations industry and was known for the development of modern propaganda methods. Bernays was also one of the most influential people of the last 100 years, and many of his writings are still used as a basis for modern PR campaigns.In this show, I offer a review of the above essay as Bernays underscores the importance of teaching people about democracy so that they can learn to appreciate its benefits and expose how Bernays cautions us about letting democracy slip away along with our freedoms and mobility.Reference: "The Edward Bernays Reader: From Propaganda To The Engineering Of Consent" introduced by Nancy Snow.Photo Credit: "Sussex Avenue School Classroom" courtesy of Newark Public Library (1957)