Book Review: News for US: Citizen-Centered Journalism, by Paula Lynn Ellis, Paul S. Voakes, and Lori Bergen

The authors clearly care about word choice in how they title each chapter. And that translates to modeling for students the importance of word choice when writing persuasively. This is most evident in their final chapter aptly titled, “Say Something, Then Be Ready for Anything.” One notable section in this chapter addresses how to deliver social media messages. Importantly, students learn how to battle misperceptions and think critically about the impact of likes and shares. A case study within this chapter explores the popularity of the @Wendys Twitter account and its unusual approach to engagement. While most brands on social media are, as the authors put, “tepid,” Wendy’s is very much not, and screenshots of their tweets help students think about the ramifications of engagement, for better or worse. This section also offers several examples of contentious plays with rival engagement, in this case @McDonalds. While the text offers plenty of theoretical frameworks to back up various writing decisions, it does not overemphasize theory. The eyes of my nontraditional students already employed in PR agencies can sometimes glaze over when discussing theory as they have witnessed some impracticability of using “theory” on a day-to-day basis in their own agencies. This text more smoothly connects theory to action and is likely to be more palatable for professional students and perhaps graduate students in applied strategic communication programs. In my graduate strategic communications course, we recently discussed the importance of developing a personal library of management reference materials to keep on hand for PR careers. Pieces to include can range from handbooks and how-to manuals to old case studies that can be accessible in the cloud or within reach in your writing space. This is one such text students should hold onto throughout their careers. The authors genuinely communicate their passion for persuasive writing, and students will appreciate the approachability of the applied assignments.