THE SHELBY INDEPENDENT

By Ron Humphries | Contributing Columnist OPINION — Information moves quickly, and sensational claims often command the most attention. It’s easy to assume we can spot manipulation when we see it, but advertising history suggests otherwise. Persuasion often works not by making us believe something outrageous, but by making a sales pitch feel like common sense. In the 1920s, the Beech-Nut company wanted to sell more bacon. Its public-relations adviser, Edward Bernays, Sigmund