It started with a problem.
Ivy Ledbetter Lee, working as a publicist for the Pennsylvania Railroad after a fatal train crash in 1906, issued what historians of public relations consider the first modern press release: a document of factual information prepared for journalists, provided to them proactively after the accident. Previously, companies typically refused to speak with the press or provided only minimal statement. Lee's document gave reporters accurate facts and helped shape coverage of the incident. Lee is credited in public relations history with establishing the principle that organizations should communicate proactively and factually with the press rather than ignore or evade media inquiry.
Historical sources below ↓Then something changed.
The press release formalized a category of organizational communication aimed at the public through journalists. It gave businesses a way to frame events in their own words before reporters developed independent narratives. As press releases became standard, they also became expected: a company that did not issue a press release about a significant event was signaling absence rather than discretion. Over time, press releases developed a standard structure — headline, dateline, quote, boilerplate — recognized by journalists and adapted to each medium from print to wire service to email to social media.
What a builder can learn.
Our interpretation: the press release was an act of narrative control through transparency. By providing facts proactively, Lee reduced the space for speculation and ensured accuracy. This principle applies broadly: in any situation where a business needs to communicate difficult information — a service disruption, a mistake, a change in policy — preparing an accurate account and sharing it proactively usually produces better outcomes than waiting for questions to arrive. The proactive account can be imperfect; the absence of any account leaves the interpretation to others.
A door still open.
A hypothesis worth testing: if a small business prepared a brief, factual communication for its customers before a significant change or problem occurred — not after — would customer response differ from cases where the communication came reactively, after customers had already noticed or complained?
When something goes wrong or changes in your business, who knows first — your customers or you — and who do you tell, and when?
Follow the evidence.
History is sourced below. Business lessons are editorial interpretations; future possibilities are questions to test, not predictions.
Prepared from primary-source histories. First edition: 25 Sept 2026.