Background
Scott Cutlip was born on July 15, 1915, in Buckhannon, West Virginia, the United States, to Okey Scott Cutlip and Janet Munson.
Syracuse University Hall of Languages, 323, Syracuse, NY 13244, USA
In 1939 Cutlip obtained a bachelor’s degree in journalism and political science from Syracuse University.
1545 Observatory Dr, Madison, WI 53706, USA
In Madison, Wisconsin Cutlip continued to study journalism and political science, earning a master's degree from the University of Wisconsin.
(Effective Public Relations, Eighth Edition presents a com...)
Effective Public Relations, Eighth Edition presents a comprehensive summary of public relations concepts, theory, principles, history, management, and practices. This “bible” of the public relations field continues in its role as the single most authoritative and complete reference for public relations professionals.
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1952
(Fund raising in the United States is big business. Some 3...)
Fund raising in the United States is big business. Some 350,000 nonprofit organizations employ an army of fund raisers, all competing for their share, employing the latest technology in computerized direct mail and telemarketing. The American public is swamped with appeals on behalf of this cause or that, as ever more ambitious financial goals are set.
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1965
(This important volume documents events and routines defin...)
This important volume documents events and routines defined as public relations practice, and serves as a companion work to the author's The Unseen Power: Public Relations which tells the history of public relations as revealed in the work and personalities of the pioneer agencies.
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1995
Scott Cutlip was born on July 15, 1915, in Buckhannon, West Virginia, the United States, to Okey Scott Cutlip and Janet Munson.
In 1939 Cutlip obtained a bachelor’s degree in journalism and political science from Syracuse University. In Madison, Wisconsin he continued to study journalism and political science, earning a master's degree from the University of Wisconsin.
Cutlip began to make his mark on Wisconsin journalism when he arrived at the University of Wisconsin (UW) in Madison in 1946, upon being released from active duty with the United States Army in World War II. Then-UW President E.B. Fred enlisted Cutlip to coordinate the centennial celebration of the university, which involved extensive coordination with newspapers across Wisconsin. From there, Cutlip unified public relations offices across the campus into what is today’s University News Service, an important liaison between Wisconsin universities and newspapers that continues today.
Cutlip returned to his classroom duties in 1949. For nearly 30 years he trained community journalists and, as a member of the journalism faculty, Cutlip maintained extensive contact with publishers and editors across the state. His outreach efforts helped him teach his students what editors and publishers “in the field” expected from their employees. One of Cutlip’s most significant contributions was the creation of the “Madison Free Press,” a simulated daily newspaper laboratory that put students into an authentic newspaper environment. As a result, the graduates of Cutlip’s classroom were able to walk directly into a newsroom and begin successful careers. Even today, many working reporters and editors are proud of earning their strips under Cutlip’s steady but firm hand.
As Cutlip was helping place well-educated reporters and copy editors in Wisconsin newsrooms, he was also establishing an international reputation for his expertise in public relations. Cutlip was a leader in both fields - journalism and public relations - because he respected, at their best, both pursuits had bedrock in the same values. His advice was the same to students in both fields: know your story better than anyone else, and tell it the same way.
It is a testament to his intelligence, dedication, and commitment to education and public service that Cutlip was an integral part of Wisconsin newspapering from the mid-1940s to the mid-1970s, even while receiving his national status in public relations. Cutlip finished his career as dean of the school of journalism and the University of Georgia, and at his death in 2000, PR Week, an industry newspaper, described Cutlip as the person who gave legitimacy to public relations education through strong research and scholarship and credited him with creating the teaching model for PR. In addition, his continued association with Wisconsin newspapers throughout his career was both a matter of his heart and his pragmatic nature. He loved newspapers and publishing, and he knew to link the classroom and the newsroom was simply common sense.
(This important volume documents events and routines defin...)
1995(Effective Public Relations, Eighth Edition presents a com...)
1952(Based largely on primary sources, this book presents the ...)
1994(Fund raising in the United States is big business. Some 3...)
1965Cutlip 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 while they skilfully advocate on behalf of clients.
At best, a public relations counselor may inform a CEO or board of directors of a client firm of necessities when contending with negative public opinion. For instance, advice may avoid a loss of market share 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. In a democracy, it is the informed votes of citizens that rights a listing ship of state, according to Milton. Cutlip also cited Hugo Black of the U. S. Supreme Court re-affirming the free speech context of practitioners in 1961.
University colleagues Merrill Jensen and Merle Curti 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."
Quotations:
"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 marketplace, and thus deserve more scholarly scrutiny than they have had."
"The impact of public relations counseling can be seen... in the more socially responsible business leadership that emerged in the wake of the Depression and the New Deal."
Cutlip was a member of the Public Relations Society of America and the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.
Cutlip married Erna K. Flader of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin on May 21, 1947. Erna Cutlip died in 1997. Scott was diagnosed with cancer several months before his death.