Manage the Media:
(Don’t Let the Media Manage You)
By William Holstein
HD59.6 .U6 H653 2008
New Book Island, 2nd floor
A reputation, whether individual or group, is intangible and can pave the way to success or failure. Public perception of a company has become fragile with the proliferation of the media and technology. They’re not only competing with the reporters and newspapers in the traditional realm, they’re also defending their names against everyone from bloggers to Amazon product reviewers. One misstep could mean finding yourself in a very deep hole with no way out. So what is an organization to do? This week’s featured title details the challenges of today’s media and how to handle them.
Holstein, a veteran business writer for the New York Times, Fortune and Barron’s, among others, has written a short (just over one hundred pages), no-nonsense book about dealing with potential communications pitfalls. Directed at CEOs, the author explains the importance of communication and public relations, complete with examples of both good and bad PR management. The emergence of the Internet (as well as Web 2.0 and social networking tools) has enabled individual consumers to rally against the big, bad corporation. Holstein provides strategies for putting corporate communication first, shaping the message and ensuring that the company’s image stays intact.
