PR professionals are quick to sing the virtues of storytelling, but their actions tell a different story. That’s how I kicked off my talk on visual storytelling at a PR Newswire event, scrutinizing the content generated by PR with two questions: Does the content deliver the “frame” that today’s journalists need to write a story? …more
The Pew Research Center produces “The State of the News Media” each year, a study on the trends shaping journalism. Given the synergistic, and yes, antagonistic relationship between PR and journalism, the report offers relevant fodder for any communicator. Here’s most of the report’s overview interpreted through a PR lens. Overview From The State of …more
Virtually every novel reflects some form of the classic storytelling arc. Same goes for movies. As I’m driving to see “Zero Dark Thirty,” I’m wondering how the heck will the movie build drama. I already know how the story ends. Yet, the CIA operative played by Jessica Chastain must deal with stuff going cockeyed …more
The grab-bag post makes a second appearance in 2013. Crafted for easy consumption, the grab-bag posts are for recreational amusement only. Economist Calls Increase in PR Professionals a “Pernicious Trend” Thankfully, my dictionary sits a click away. Well, that doesn’t sound all that positive. The Economist story goes on to leverage its crack data scientists …more
One of the best parts of a 12-hour overseas flight is catching up on the stack of magazines that have accumulated on my night stand. The March 28 issue of Businessweek carried the story, “Li Huabo, Corrupt Chinese Bureaucrat or Fall Guy?” It’s the type of business storytelling that I suspect we’ll be reading more …more
After talking at the PR Newswire event on visual storytelling, it occurred to me that I missed the obvious. People gravitate to the PR profession for two reasons, they like to write or they like to interact with others. In either case, the visual part of communications is an afterthought at best. They perceive areas …more
The more I’ve read about the Pope Francis, the more it sounds like he’s taking on the business world’s equivalent of a turnaround. Consider the following words and snippets mined from Businessweek – Much of what he found he didn’t like. “I listened and tried hard not to draw conclusions.” Bureaucracy To get to the …more
Rem Rieder from American Journalism Review penned a viewpoint in USA Today last week that criticized President Obama for cutting down access to journalists. The supporting proof points highlighted by Rieder: Short Q&A sessions have always served as a forum for the President to weigh in on timely issues. George W. Bush, who wasn’t exactly …more
Everyone knows headlines rule. The ceaseless bombardment of information has turned the headline into eye candy. Write a good one, and readers stop to give the body copy a chance. If not, the readers’ attention never breaks stride and they’re on to other things in a nanosecond. Perhaps no media property has perfected the art …more
