The power of the press: keep reading: a veteran newsman's insights into the business emerge in the second half of his book.about the book Making News: A Straight-Shooting Guide to Media Relations by David Henderson David Henderson may be:
Making News, a new book on media relations by David Henderson that is billed as "a straight-shooting guide to media relations," falls short of its goal. It's certainly not that the author, a former CBS News CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. Its current president is Sean McManus who is also head of CBS Sports. Current productions Current television shows
The problem is Henderson didn't write this book for communication professionals, but for consumers, and naive ones at that. Indeed, the first half of the book is just a primer on how the news media works. No PR pro is going to learn anything new in such chapters as "Tell the Truth" and "Don't Say No Comment." Henderson goes on for pages, even explaining the difference between advertising vs. news ("paid" coverage vs. "earned" coverage). There are many examples of poorly written press releases, lengthy explanations of what a blog is, and interpretations of such mysterious journalistic terms as "off the record" and "background." While the book is well-written and filled with interesting anecdotes, this is the stuff of college textbooks. But lest you think I didn't like this book, read on. Because after a very rudimentary first half, Making News finally drew me in with its "Media Relations Field Guide." It's unfortunate that many people may be turned off by the facile (language) Facile - A concurrent extension of ML from ECRC. http://ecrc.de/facile/facile_home.html. ["Facile: A Symmetric Integration of Concurrent and Functional Programming", A. Giacalone et al, Intl J Parallel Prog 18(2):121-160, Apr 1989]. first half of the book, and may not make it this far. Henderson caught my eye with a chapter on "Eye Candy Images and animated graphics added to Web sites and interactive software that makes the information exciting. In other words, glitz, sizzle and pizzazz. See cornea gumbo. ," which includes examples of using photography on behalf of clients. More than just a scribbler scrib·bler n. One who scribbles, especially an author regarded as very minor, untalented, or disreputable: a scribbler of sentimental verse. Noun 1. , Henderson shows remarkable savvy in demonstrating how to use still photos to catapult a news release to an editor's attention. Similarly, his is the only book I've seen that includes a very smart chapter on desk-side briefings. And the icing on the cake was "Forget [Media] Lists, Find Influencers." Just when I thought Making News was another misguided musing on the sorry state of the news business, Henderson's experience and smarts saved the day, and this book. True, some of his advice is pretty obvious, like his "Pillars of Media Relations: Have a plan, be original and tell the truth." (To be honest, I'm tired of communication consultants having to attest to truth telling, as if we're all spinmeisters and paid liars.) I also like the fact that Henderson doesn't just blow his own horn. Throughout the book, he quotes everyone from veteran newswoman news·wom·an n. A woman who gathers, reports, or edits news. Noun 1. newswoman - a female newsperson newsman, newsperson, reporter - a person who investigates and reports or edits news stories Linda Ellerbee Linda Ellerbee (born Linda Jane Smith in Bryan, Texas, U.S., August 15, 1944) is a journalist who is most known for several jobs at NBC News, including Washington (DC) correspondent, and reporter and co-anchor of NBC News Overnight, to C-SPAN's Steve Scully. Henderson clearly understands the crucial role of media relations in the marketing/ communication world. I just wish he'd written one book, not the two I found in Making News. If you can wade through the first half, you'll find some gems in the second. This book may not be a must-read for a communication pro, but it might make a nice gift to your clients so they'll understand your work. A Peabody Award-winning former NBC News NBC News (along with NBC News + HD) is the news division of American television network NBC, a part of NBC Universal, which is majority-owned by General Electric. Its current president is Steve Capus. It is the top-rated broadcast news division and has been for a decade. anchor, Jim Cameron heads Cameron Communications Inc. in Darien, Connecticut Darien is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is one of the most affluent communities in the United States. Two Metro North railroad stations serve Darien: Noroton Heights and Darien'''. . |
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