| Description | British Psychological Society press releases concerning conferences, publications, policy and events
23 February 1989 The Operation of the Whitley Council - press release and BPS Professional Affairs Board [PAB] memorandum of Evidence to The Social Services Select Committee
6 March 1989 Partnership, Participation and Power: Psychology and Physical Disability - distribution list and press release on BPS Professional Affairs Board [PAB] report 'Psychology and Physical Disability in the National Health Service';
31 March - 3 April 1989 BPS Annual Conference, University of St Andrews Scotland
Distribution list
General press release about the conference
1. New President of the British Psychological Society (Tony Gale) - press release,
2. If The Face Fits Your Guilty (Neil MacRae) press release;
3. Stress in the City (Howard Kahn) press release;
4. Laughter on the Other Side of Your Face (Martin Skinner) - press release;
5. Can Videos make You Nasty (Peter Ainsworth) press release;
6. BreakThrough in the Care of Violent Prisoners (David Cooke) - press release;
7. Disaster Syndrome in Prison Officers (Roisin Hall) - press release;
8. Steering Youngsters Away From Booze (Gellisse Bagnall) - press release';
9. Gambling with Life and Death (Peter Dean) - press release;
10. Eat Up Darling (David Cundell) press release;
11. Male Myths on Lovemaking (Tina Baker) - press release;
12. Fear and Guilt in the Post-Aids Era (Heather George) - press release;
13. Long Hours Hold Hidden Dangers for Nurses (Marie Johnston) - press release';
14. Driving Below The Limit (Javed Bhatti) press release;
15. Female Entrepreneurs Overcome Sexism (Elke Heiss) press release';
16. Lead in Blood - Bad Marks and Bad Boys (George Thomson) press release;
17. Funny My Heroes Look Like Me (Jules Davidoff) - press release';
18. Effects of Hostage Incidents on Prison Officers (Barry McGurk) - press release and summary
[not complete - more press releases in BPS/001/6/01/03/08 BPS Annual Conference Press]
3 April 1989 Stress in Construction Managers (Vicky Langford)
10-12 April 1989 4th Western European Congress on the Psychology of Work and Organisation, Robinson College, Cambridge University
General release about the conference
1. Using Computers to Help The Disabled (Gerald Midgley and Michael Floyd) - press release;
2. Cooperating With Computers To Improve Efficiency and Health At Work (Gunnels Westlander) - press release
3. No Room In The Enterprise Culture for the Unemployed (Colin Gray) - press release;
4. Education for Organisational Change (Ceri Roderick) - press release;
5. How Organisations Use and Abuse Mobility (Nick Forster) - press release;
6. Developing The University (John Hurley) - press release;
7. Computers in General Medical Practice: A Prescription for Change (Michael Fitter) - press release
8. Counselling Services in UK Organisations - Would You Use Them? (Michael Reddy) - press release;
21 April 1989 British Psychologists Condemn Apartheid - press release and draft concerning vote by BPS members;
9 May 1989 Psychologist Addresses Parliamentary Scientific Committee on Psychological Aftermath of Disasters (James Thompson) - press release, draft, distribution list
26 June 1989 Most Large Companies Use Occupational Tests (Bill Mabey) - press release and article y published in BPS Guidance and Assessment Review
30 June 1989 Psychological Testing - Guidance for the User - press release for BPS guide
12 July 1989 Community Charge and Dementia - distribution list and press release on BPS Professional Affairs Board letter to Scottish Secretary of State Malcolm Rifkind on his position on exemption from poll tax of people with dementia
14 July 1989 White Paper Provokes More Concern Than Approbation - press release and BPS response to White Paper 'Working For Patients'
8-11 September 1989 Annual Conference of the Developmental Section of the British Psychological Society, University of Surrey, Guildford
General release about the conference
1. Better Ways to Teach Reading and Spelling - press release
2. AIDS Boys Harsher to Victims Than Girls (James Lang) - press release
3. Latest Research on Hyperactivity - press release
4. Teenage Life in the UK - Where You Live Matters (John Bynner) - press release
5. Teenagers' Feelings About Divorce (Terry Honess, Tammy Johnson) - press release;
6. British Teenagers Are Bad Bullies (Yvette Ahmad and Peter Smith) - press release
7. North South Divide Seriously Affects Teenagers (John Bynner) - press release
8. Are Girls Starting To Like Science? (John Archer and Maureen McDonald) - press release
9. Once Clumsy, Always Clumsy (Sheila Henderson and Anna Losse) - press release
23-24 September 1989 Annual Conference of the Social Psychology Section, Bristol University
1. Finding Out Why Adolescents Drink and Smoke (Nick Hopkins) - press release
2. How Drivers Explain Bad Driving (James Baxter) - press release
20 November 1989 Dark Incontinence - The last Taboo - press release and covering letter for BPS briefing paper [not included - see BPS/001/11/04/02/04/40]
19-20 December 1989 BPS Annual London Conference
General press release about the conference -
1. Nicotine Aid to Alzheimer Patients (David Warburton) -press release
2. Bullying The Silent Nightmare: Bullying and Victimisation in School Peer Groups (Peter Smith) - press release;
3. Dieters in the Doldrums (Jane Ogden) - press release.
4. Patients Blamed for Poor Health Habits (Theresa Marteau) - press release;
5. Confidential Counselling Services for the Police (Graham Powell) - press release,
6. Doing Something About Epilepsy (Pam Thompson) - press release;
7. More about ME (Alan Durndell) -press release;
8. Sexual Partners of Injecting Drug Users Risk HIV Infection (Hilary Klee) - press release;
9. There was this Rabbi (Richard Raskin) - press release;
10. Like Mother Like Daughter ( Bernice Andrews) - press release';
11. Concern Over HIV Testing in Ante-Natal Clinics (Lorraine Sherr) and What Do Kids Think About Aids (Margaret Grocke and Marjorie Smith) - press releases;
12. Does the Stereotypical Accountant Exist (Jackie Granleese) - press release;
13. The Art and Science of the Police Artist (Graham Davis) - press release
14. Job Relocation: Making Moving Experiences Better (Tony Munton) -press release;
21 December 1989 for Annual Occupational Psychology Conference to be held on 3-5 January 1990 at Old England and Belsfield Hotels, Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria
1. First Class Counselling for Postal Workers (Golnaz Sadri, Cary Cooper) - press release
2. To Nurse or Not To Nurse? (Caroll Borrill) - press release;
3. Problem Drinking At Home (Andy Guppy) - press release
4. Preparing People for the Unthinkable (Douglas Paton) - press release
5. Youth on Call (John Haworth and Sarah Bishop) - press release
6. Company Mergers - A Blind Date (Timothy St Ather) - press release |
| AdminHistory | The first report on public relations was in 1946 by T H Pear [see BPS Council Papers 25 May 1946]. A public relations committee was founded in 1955 and was a short lived working party.
The first press releases was for the BPS Occupational Psychology Section Conference in Cambridge, held 3-4 January 1970.
In 1971 Nicholas Georgiades and Professor Arthur Summerfield arranged a press conference at Brown's Hotel to draw attention to the BPS response to Sir John Foster's report on Scientology [See BPS/001/4/01/03/01]. After advice from Mr Christopher Hall, Barbara Castle's Information officer on setting up a press function - a Standing Press Committee was formed in October 1971 under the Chairmanship of Dr Georgiades - they produced press releases and started recruiting spokespeople and setting up a media training courses for them - the first of which was held in June 1972. Early press efforts were concentrated on promoting the conferences and journal articles but later encompassed promoting BPS policy, positions, activities and the profession of psychology.
In 1973 Susan Best PA to the Secretary General took on the additional role of 'Public Relations Secretary', this was later held by Mrs M Clark, the post existed until 1976. A dedicated press officer was recruited in 1991.
Stephen White joined the BPS staff as Director of Communications in 1985 and started organising regular media training from 1986 onwards. Press releases were regularly issued from this time.
By October 1991 the Press Committee was no longer a standing committee but a subcommittee of the Information Committee (which itself took over from the Standing Committee on Communications SCCOMS 1984-1990). The Information Committee became the Communications Committee in 1998 as part of the Society's strategic plan. This became the Publications and Communications Board in 2000. |
| Copyright | Subject to the condition of the original, copies may be supplied for private research use only on receipt of a signed undertaking to comply with current copyright legislation. Permission to make any published use of material from the collection must be sought in advance from the Head of the History of Psychology Centre and Archives and, where appropriate, from the copyright owner. Where possible, assistance will be given in identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material |