Thoughts on Public Relations work and Second handers

[Markoso]

I've recently been acquainting myself with Edward Bernay's early work (Crystallizing Public Opinion specifically), and upon reading it, I really started thinking about what it was that made Gail Wynand a second hander. In Bernay's eyes, a newspaper is a mirror reflecting the mind of the "public", while at the same time influencing and reinforcing the ideas commonly held by those members of the general public. Comparing that to Wynand, that is essentially what his paper was doing (the masses give dirt and in return receive mud), and making a tidy sum doing so. However, my essential question is whether this is the essence of his second handed-ness; his willingness to simply pander to the public and simply give them what they desire (in most cases, an outlet for base commentary/reinforcement of ideas already held).

Now that I've been exposed to Bernay's theories (especially his thoughts on factual arguements vs. the unwilling mind), while I'm inclined to think it runs afoul of the Objectivist thoughts on comprimise, would it have been an ethical error on Wynand's part to preside over his empire of yellow journalism whilst slowly attempting to open the minds of his readers, or at the very least, dedicating resources to getting the "good" news out to those who could appreciate it, whether through a subsidiary paper, or what have you. I just feel like, in Wynand's scenario, it makes a lot of sense to slowly (perhaps very slowly), wean the public away from their more....irrational thoughts and proclamations.

Or, for another example of what I'm trying to get at; if someone Youth in historical times is about to be burned alive for witchcraft, and the majority of the populace believes in the existence of witchcraft, do you simply proclaim the fact of witchcraft's nonexistence, or do you pander to their understanding of reality a bit, maybe telling them that satan has conspired to sully the name of an innocent youth or some such (and possibly raising the chances of succeeding at saving the youth's life). That may be a terrible example, but that's the kind of situation I feel Wynand was in as far as his integrity as a journalist was concerned. Also, forgive me if my recollection of The Fountainheads events are a bit out of date, it's been a few years since I read it.

Edited April 9, 2010 by Markoso