I am indebted to Simon Collister for providing this quote:
“The crowd is now in the saddle … The people now rule. We have substituted for the divine right of kings, the divine right of the multitude.”
As Simon says it’s all very 21st century and social media – except it was written 80-90 years ago by Ivy Lee, one of the founders of modern public relations.
Simon also says:
“It just goes to show that as Stuart and others have shown this whole social media thing is really about taking PR, business, politics – anything with social interaction back to a basic, fundamental level of honesty, openness and transparency.”
And finally would the PR intern who borrowed my copy of PR! A Social History of Spin please return it 
The shame is that Ivy Lee was responding to unethical practices of the times – yet, his championing of the press release as an open forms of communications is one of the things today seen as puff and propaganda. Also, for most of the last century, PR acted to protect the interests of those with power and control in society. Let's hope social media does enable more people power and greater open and ethical communications in this century.