Scott Munson Cutlip (July 15, 1915 in

Buckhannon, West Virginia Buckhannon is the only incorporated city in, and the county seat of, Upshur County, West Virginia, United States, and is located along the Buckhannon River. The population was 5,299 at the 2020 census. The city is located 60 miles southwest ...

– August 18, 2000 in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th ...

) was a pioneer in

public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. ...

education.

Biography

Cutlip was born in Buckhannon, West Virginia, the son of Okey Scott Cutlip and Janet Munson. He was raised by his uncle George Carper Reger. Cutlip started in

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, spor ...

s with the ''Buckhannon Record'' in 1933. Moving to

Morgantown, West Virginia Morgantown is a city in and the county seat of Monongalia County, West Virginia, United States, situated along the Monongahela River. The largest city in North-Central West Virginia, Morgantown is best known as the home of West Virginia Universi ...

in 1935, he worked for the West Virginia Newspaper Publishing Company for three years. In 1939 he obtained a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to si ...

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the " news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (p ...

and

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and ...

from

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

. His career in public relations began in 1941 with the West Virginia State Road Commission. In

he continued to study journalism and political science, earning a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

from the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

. In 1942 he entered the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

, where he served with the Fifth Air Force from Australia. He joined the faculty of the University of Wisconsin in 1946, teaching news editing and introducing the study of public relations. As Cutlip later explained, :"From 1947 through 1974 at Wisconsin it was my privilege to guide some 135 U.S. military officers, mostly U.S. Army, through their graduate programs — a program initiated by then Army Chief of Staff General Dwight D. Eisenhower on the recommendation of

Arthur W. Page Arthur Wilson Page (September 10, 1883 – September 5, 1960) was a vice president and director of AT&T from 1927 to 1947. He is sometimes referred to as "the father of corporate public relations" for his work at AT&T. The company was experiencing r ...

, an eminent public relations pioneer." In 1952 he co-wrote the first edition of '' Effective Public Relations'' with Allen H. Center. This

textbook A textbook is a book containing a comprehensive compilation of content in a branch of study with the intention of explaining it. Textbooks are produced to meet the needs of educators, usually at educational institutions. Schoolbooks are textbook ...

was reissued in the 11th edition in 2012. In 1957 Cutlip produced a

bibliography Bibliography (from and ), as a discipline, is traditionally the academic study of books as physical, cultural objects; in this sense, it is also known as bibliology (from ). English author and bibliographer John Carter describes ''bibliography ...

on public relations (updated in 1965), and in 1965 he authored a book on

fundraising Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...

in the United States. At the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

from 1976 to 1983, Cutlip served as dean of the

Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication The Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication is a constituent college of the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, United States. Established in 1915, Grady College offers undergraduate degrees in journalism, advertising, public re ...

.Obituary
by University of Georgia In 1994 and 1995 Cutlip published two histories of public relations that develop the practices through the stories of professional operators. Cutlip was a member of the

Public Relations Society of America The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) is a nonprofit trade association for public relations professionals. It was founded in 1947 by combining the American Council on Public Relations and the National Association of Public Relations C ...

and the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

Philosophy of public relations

Cutlip issued the call to study: :"Public relations strategies and tactics are increasingly used as weapons of power in our no-holds-barred political, economic, and cause competition in the

public opinion Public opinion is the collective opinion on a specific topic or voting intention relevant to a society. It is the people's views on matters affecting them. Etymology The term "public opinion" was derived from the French ', which was first use ...

marketplace, and thus deserve more scholarly scrutiny than they have had." Cutlip expressed the opinion that public relations is a "vital cog in the nation’s information system" in the prologue to his book ''The Unseen Power''. He describes the public system as consisting of "government – federal, state, and local, political parties, pressure groups, non-profit organizations, public relations personnel, and the channels of communication, manned by reporters, editors, and gatekeepers". He noted that since citizens depend on this system, practitioners have a

social responsibility Social responsibility is an ethical framework in which an individual is obligated to work and cooperate with other individuals and organizations for the benefit of the community that will inherit the world that individual leaves behind. Social ...

while they skilfully advocate on behalf of clients. At best, a public relations counselor may inform a CEO or

board of directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit orga ...

of a client firm of necessities when contending with negative public opinion. For instance, advice may avoid a loss of

market share Market share is the percentage of the total revenue or sales in a market that a company's business makes up. For example, if there are 50,000 units sold per year in a given industry, a company whose sales were 5,000 of those units would have a ...

and thus prove valuable. More generally, public relations practitioners enrich public dialogue and consolidate the frayed threads of discord. Cutlip conceded that practice may contribute to congestion and corrosion of communication channels. As practitioners of the craft, Cutlip listed "propagandist, press agent, public information officer, public relations or public affairs official, political campaign specialist, lobbyist". The occupations operate under conditions of

free speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recog ...

. In a

democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation (" direct democracy"), or to choose g ...

, it is the informed votes of citizens that rights a listing

ship of state The Ship of State is an ancient and oft-cited metaphor, famously expounded by Plato in the '' Republic'' (Book 6, 488a–489d), which likens the governance of a city-state to the command of a vessel. Plato expands the established metaphor and ...

, according to Milton. Cutlip also cited

Hugo Black Hugo Lafayette Black (February 27, 1886 – September 25, 1971) was an American lawyer, politician, and jurist who served as a U.S. Senator from Alabama from 1927 to 1937 and as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1937 to 1971. ...

of the

U. S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point of ...

re-affirming the free speech context of practitioners in 1961. University colleagues Merrill Jensen and

Merle Curti Merle Eugene Curti (September 15, 1897 – March 9, 1996) was a leading American historian, who taught many graduate students at Columbia University and the University of Wisconsin, and was a leader in developing the fields of social history a ...

challenged Cutlip to defend devious tactics of public relations practitioners. They saw public relations for its corrosive effect of undermining public trust and leading to cynicism. For his part, Cutlip noted that "only through the expertise of public relations can causes, industries, individuals and institutions make their voices heard in the public forum where thousands of shrill, competing voices daily recreate the

Tower of Babel The Tower of Babel ( he, , ''Mīgdal Bāḇel'') narrative in Genesis 11:1–9 is an origin myth meant to explain why the world's peoples speak different languages. According to the story, a united human race speaking a single language and mi ...

." "The impact of public relations counselling can be seen ... in the more socially responsible business leadership that emerged in the wake of the Depression and the New Deal."

Awards

In 1971 Cutlip was presented the

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad h ...

Litt. D. by

West Virginia Wesleyan College West Virginia Wesleyan College is a private college in Buckhannon, West Virginia. It has an enrollment of about 1,400 students from 35 U.S. states and 26 countries. The school was founded in 1890 by the West Virginia Conference of the Methodist E ...

of Buckhannon. In 1972 Cutlip was recognized with the first Outstanding Educator Award presented by the

. In 1984 he received the

Commander's Award for Public Service The Public Service Commendation Medal is the fourth highest public service decoration the United States Department of the Army can bestow upon a civilian, ranking directly below the Meritorious Public Service Medal. The name of the decoration was ...

from the Department of the Army and in 2003 was inducted into the U.S. Army Public Affairs Hall of Fame. In 1987 he was nominated to the Hall of Fame of the

Society. In 1990 Cutlip was admitted to the College of Fellows of the

. In 1995 the Society presented him with its Golden Anvil award. That year the International Association of Business Communicators presented him with a special award to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Association. In recognition of his contributions to journalism education, he was elected a member of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association Hall of Fame.

Personal life

Cutlip married Erna K. Flader of

Wauwatosa, Wisconsin Wauwatosa (; known informally as Tosa; originally Wau-wau-too-sa or Hart's Mill) is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 48,387 at the 2020 census. Wauwatosa is located immediately west of Milwaukee, and is a p ...

on May 21, 1947. Erna Cutlip died in 1997. Scott was diagnosed with cancer several months before his death.

Legacy

The Scott Cutlip Scholarship is awarded to students at the University of Wisconsin–Madison with an interest in public relations. Cutlip's contributions to public relations are commemorated in a special 1991 issue of ''Public Relations Review''.'' Public Relations Review'', vol. 17, no. 4 (Winter 1991), pp. 331-433.

Works

* 1952: (with Allen H. Center) '' Effective Public Relations'',

Prentice Hall Prentice Hall was an American major educational publisher owned by Savvas Learning Company. Prentice Hall publishes print and digital content for the 6–12 and higher-education market, and distributes its technical titles through the Safari ...

(8th edition in 2000). * 1965: ''Fundraising in the United States, its role in America's philanthropy'', 553 p,

Rutgers University Press Rutgers University Press (RUP) is a nonprofit academic publishing house, operating in New Brunswick, New Jersey under the auspices of Rutgers University. History Rutgers University Press, a nonprofit academic publishing house operating in New B ...

. * 1965: ''Public Relations Bibliography'', second edition, 305 p,

University of Wisconsin Press The University of Wisconsin Press (sometimes abbreviated as UW Press) is a non-profit university press publishing peer-reviewed books and journals. It publishes work by scholars from the global academic community; works of fiction, memoir and ...

. * 1994: ''The Unseen Power: Public Relations: A History'', Lawrence Erlbaum Associates . * 1995: ''Public Relations History: from the 17th to the 20th Century'', Lawrence Earlbaum Associates .

References

External links

Scott M. Cutlip papers, 1940-1996
at the Wisconsin Historical Society Archives {{DEFAULTSORT:Cutlip, Scott 1915 births 2000 deaths Writers from Madison, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Journalism & Mass Communication alumni University of Georgia faculty People from Buckhannon, West Virginia American public relations people Historians of public relations Public relations theorists Syracuse University alumni Military personnel from West Virginia United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II Writers from West Virginia 20th-century American historians