Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Talk of the trade: Not bad for a PR man

Michael Leapman
Tuesday 31 May 1994 23:02 BST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

IT IS not normally taken as a compliment when a newspaper publisher asks one of his reporters: 'Why don't you go into public relations?' But George Hearst, publisher of the old Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, did Thomas Eidson a great favour when he proffered that advice in 1972. Within 14 years Eidson was chief executive of the PR giant Hill & Knowlton, and this year, just before his 50th birthday, he stepped down as chairman, although remaining as an executive vice-president. As if that were not success enough, he has just made dollars 1.1m from his first novel, St Agnes' Stand, published tomorrow by Michael Joseph.

'I consider it as found money,' he told me in London last week. 'There's something wonderful in having one foot in the reality of the corporate world and the other in fantasy.' Not many would use the word reality to describe the wacky world of PR, but I suppose it is a mite less incredible than earning dollars 1.1m from your first novel.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in