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Practical public affairs in an era of change: A communications guide for business, government, and college
Book Reviews
nately, too many in the profession believe that our clients’ or employers’ issues will be important to the rest of the world, Thompson says. We’ve advanced the technology of communication without changing the content, he argues. We’ve given more attention to the mechanics of transmission than to the psychology of the receiver, completely neglecting the human side. This issue, he says, becomes even more critical now that PR is attaining the importance it deserves within the strategic circles of management. Thompson believes it is critical that PR professionals infuse this new role with fresh vision and re-invent the mission of communication if we are to serve both our clients and our audiences. ‘We must develop argument patterns that forcefully present our institution’s position in the context of the reader’s needs,” he says. Only after doing this, he argues, can we move the reader to take actions that benefit the organizations we represent. While this book appears to be written primarily as a student text, the experienced practitioner will find a great deal of useful information and technique. The book is divided into three sections--Planning, Creating, and Targetingwith each section providing compelling arguments, concrete examples, and quotes from public relations icons. Chapters are clear and well-organized, allowing the reader to absorb the material in depth or to skim when time is short. Thompson offers a viable pathway for approaching communication from the audience’s point of view. But equally valuable, he makes it easy to learn how to achieve that all-important goal. Donna R. Maurillo Public Relations Consultant Santa Cruz, California Lloyd B. Dennis, ed. Practical Public A@irs in an Era of Change: A Communications Guih@ Business, Government, and College New York: PRSA, 467 pp. $29.50, 1995 Billed as a comprehensive review of what is currently known about public affairs, Practical Public Affairs is almost encyclopedic in its coverage of public affairs issues. It’s a must read for anyone involved in or thinking about that portion of public relations dealing with government and public policy. The experienced practitioner should find comfort in the knowledge that others face the same obstacles, and hope in discovering how others overcame those obstacles. The student will come away with an appreciation of the processes and range of issues faced in contemporary practice. The text is a comendium of topics organized into chapters, each written by a different author or authors. Happily, it doesn’t read like 40 different authors. Fall 1997
287
Public Relations Review
Public affairs is said to be “born of marriage between lobbying and communications, and schooled in the techniques of community organizing” (p. 14). With that covering statement, we jump immediately to the 1960s to look at the precursors of modern practice. We learn that civil rights, consumerism, and environmental concerns created the dynamics that led to what we would later call corporate social responsibility. The remainder of the text is organized around contemporary public affairs, public affairs a~inistration, contempora~ issues and the future of public affairs. The issues section looks at new technology, and interestingly, takes a wait and see approach to the world wide web. The chapter on collaborative planning blends communication and negotiation-a topic often neglected in our practice. James Lukaszewski penned the chapter on PR and litigation-a topic he knows well. The section concludes with emerging issues: information explosion, new federalism, growth of special interests and campaign reform among others. Secretary of Energy Hazel O’Leary might enjoy the chapter on information preparedness (chapter 23). It provides a logic for tracking reporters and stories. “If you’re tracking reporters and their stories, you will know their areas of interest and who will have an ability to more proactively market stories. You know who the players are” (p. 337). Finally, one chapter (chapter 13) is reserved for the other definition of public affairs-governrnent public information. I particularly liked the idea that “reputation, not image, is important” in public affairs. That’s not a bad way to approach public relations either. Rick Fischer The University
of Memphis
Utopia: How In@mzatim
Ended
the Soviet
Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, Publisher, 324 pp., $14.95, paper, 1994, paperback edition 1995 What is the role of new technologies in informing or disinforming a society? That question should concern everyone in the public relations profession, most of whom are in the information business, although some certainly are on the disinformation side. The former Soviet Union and now Russia both provide an interesting case history that can help answer the question. This recent book, although often anecdotal and too discursive, has not received the attention it deserves, but it is not too late to call it to our readers’ attention. Scott Shane witnessed the final days of Soviet empire as the ~~~~~?~~~e Szkn’s correspondent in Moscow from 1988 to 1991. Certainly, “the exploding arsenal of electronics”-cellular telephones, fax machines, VCRs, satellite dishes, computers with modems-allowed broader 288
Vol. 23, No. 3
nately, too many in the profession believe that our clients’ or employers’ issues will be important to the rest of the world, Thompson says. We’ve advanced the technology of communication without changing the content, he argues. We’ve given more attention to the mechanics of transmission than to the psychology of the receiver, completely neglecting the human side. This issue, he says, becomes even more critical now that PR is attaining the importance it deserves within the strategic circles of management. Thompson believes it is critical that PR professionals infuse this new role with fresh vision and re-invent the mission of communication if we are to serve both our clients and our audiences. ‘We must develop argument patterns that forcefully present our institution’s position in the context of the reader’s needs,” he says. Only after doing this, he argues, can we move the reader to take actions that benefit the organizations we represent. While this book appears to be written primarily as a student text, the experienced practitioner will find a great deal of useful information and technique. The book is divided into three sections--Planning, Creating, and Targetingwith each section providing compelling arguments, concrete examples, and quotes from public relations icons. Chapters are clear and well-organized, allowing the reader to absorb the material in depth or to skim when time is short. Thompson offers a viable pathway for approaching communication from the audience’s point of view. But equally valuable, he makes it easy to learn how to achieve that all-important goal. Donna R. Maurillo Public Relations Consultant Santa Cruz, California Lloyd B. Dennis, ed. Practical Public A@irs in an Era of Change: A Communications Guih@ Business, Government, and College New York: PRSA, 467 pp. $29.50, 1995 Billed as a comprehensive review of what is currently known about public affairs, Practical Public Affairs is almost encyclopedic in its coverage of public affairs issues. It’s a must read for anyone involved in or thinking about that portion of public relations dealing with government and public policy. The experienced practitioner should find comfort in the knowledge that others face the same obstacles, and hope in discovering how others overcame those obstacles. The student will come away with an appreciation of the processes and range of issues faced in contemporary practice. The text is a comendium of topics organized into chapters, each written by a different author or authors. Happily, it doesn’t read like 40 different authors. Fall 1997
287
Public Relations Review
Public affairs is said to be “born of marriage between lobbying and communications, and schooled in the techniques of community organizing” (p. 14). With that covering statement, we jump immediately to the 1960s to look at the precursors of modern practice. We learn that civil rights, consumerism, and environmental concerns created the dynamics that led to what we would later call corporate social responsibility. The remainder of the text is organized around contemporary public affairs, public affairs a~inistration, contempora~ issues and the future of public affairs. The issues section looks at new technology, and interestingly, takes a wait and see approach to the world wide web. The chapter on collaborative planning blends communication and negotiation-a topic often neglected in our practice. James Lukaszewski penned the chapter on PR and litigation-a topic he knows well. The section concludes with emerging issues: information explosion, new federalism, growth of special interests and campaign reform among others. Secretary of Energy Hazel O’Leary might enjoy the chapter on information preparedness (chapter 23). It provides a logic for tracking reporters and stories. “If you’re tracking reporters and their stories, you will know their areas of interest and who will have an ability to more proactively market stories. You know who the players are” (p. 337). Finally, one chapter (chapter 13) is reserved for the other definition of public affairs-governrnent public information. I particularly liked the idea that “reputation, not image, is important” in public affairs. That’s not a bad way to approach public relations either. Rick Fischer The University
of Memphis
Utopia: How In@mzatim
Ended
the Soviet
Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, Publisher, 324 pp., $14.95, paper, 1994, paperback edition 1995 What is the role of new technologies in informing or disinforming a society? That question should concern everyone in the public relations profession, most of whom are in the information business, although some certainly are on the disinformation side. The former Soviet Union and now Russia both provide an interesting case history that can help answer the question. This recent book, although often anecdotal and too discursive, has not received the attention it deserves, but it is not too late to call it to our readers’ attention. Scott Shane witnessed the final days of Soviet empire as the ~~~~~?~~~e Szkn’s correspondent in Moscow from 1988 to 1991. Certainly, “the exploding arsenal of electronics”-cellular telephones, fax machines, VCRs, satellite dishes, computers with modems-allowed broader 288
Vol. 23, No. 3