Product Description

"Media Relations Handbook" is required reading for press secretaries on Capitol Hill, public affairs officers in federal agencies, spin doctors in political campaigns, PR professionals in nonprofit organizations, lobbyists - anyone whose job involves garnering media coverage in a town where ink is gold and airtime is platinum. In Media Relations Handbook Brad Fitch moves back and forth between theory and practice with the grace of a prize fighter, teasing out general principles, then illustrating his points with real-life examples.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #935823 in Books
• Published on: 2004-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 368 pages

Review
"[O]f value to students and professionals of political communications and public relations. Summing up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate through professional collections." -- CHOICE, April, 2005

From the Publisher
Next to the AP Style Guide, this is the most valuable reference work for a public affairs officer, press secretary, or Beltway PR professional.

A former radio and TV reporter with 11 years of experience as a press secretary on Capitol Hill, Fitch covers the gamut of political press relations, beginning with the principal and his or her message, then showing how this message is manipulated through print, broadcast, and online communications. He explains how to deal with reporters, staff and policy wonks with the sage tone of experience coupled with generous doses of humor.

Media Relations Handbook devotes chapters to special situations including Congressional Campaigns, Federal Agency Communications, and Crisis Communications. All of this highlighted with anecdotes from the most important media battles in Washington over the past four decades: everything from Watergate to Whitewater, Barney Frank to Gary Condit, Sam Donaldson to Howard Dean.

From the pithy quotes that introduce each chapter to the appendices, glossary, and index that complete this guide, Media Relations Handbook is a tremendous achievement. If Washington press relations is a martial art, Fitch is its Yoda. Indeed, James Carville says that "Media Relations Handbook is to political campaigns what The Art of War is to military campaigns: an essential strategic reference."

An amalgamation of the collective wisdom of hundreds of public relations professionals, Media Relations Handbook is an overview of the ideas that have become the accepted rules of communications in Washington, presented in one volume. This book deserves to occupy a spot next to the telephone in every media relations office in DC.

"Media Relations Handbook" forms part of the course materials for our public and customized media training programs (TheCapitol.Net's "Media Relations 101" and "Advanced Media Relations" courses), and is also a great classroom text.

From the Author
America was founded by a public relations campaign. Certainly General George Washington’s army played an important role as well in freeing the colonies from British tyranny. But it was Thomas Paine’s pen, through his pamphlet Common Sense, which motivated thousands of colonists to join the rebel army to fight for the cause of liberty against their British cousins.

It’s strange to think that public relations existed two hundred years ago, yet Common Sense was the first mass media campaign on American soil. In a nation of three million, an estimated 400,000 copies of the 40-page pamphlet were printed. That would be the modern day equivalent today of about 40 million voters watching the same 30-minute documentary calling on them to overthrow their government -- and most of them supporting the idea.

From cave drawings to the printing press to the Internet, leaders and their acolytes throughout human history have combined persuasive ideas and available technology to communicate those ideas to those they wish to influence. In a democratic context, the process takes on larger meaning, as the goals of the persuader are often intended to better the human condition, right a social wrong, or protect an unsuspecting public from some menace.

Customer Reviews

Great Advice for Beginners and Experienced Media Hands
If you are a media relations professional--either beginner or seasoned veteran--this is the book for you. Brad Fitch, who spent many years fielding reporters' tough questions on Capitol Hill, has written a timely, practical guide to handling media relations that is filled with solid professional advice. What goes into a press release? How do you develop a strategic message? You've got a digital camera and a fax machine, but what else does your office need to effectively handle the media? Before you start talking to a reporter, do you know the difference between "on the record," "off the record," and "background"? When there's an immediate crisis in your organization, what are the eight mistakes that you absolutely must avoid? How do you handle your paranoid boss when he or she has to confront the press? You'll find the answers to these and many other everyday problems in this book. Fitch also gives valuable advice on how to set up an effective website and how to use e-mail for optimum communications. Excellent book for professionals who work in federal or state agencies, trade associations, non-profits, state legislatures or Congress. It's the only handbook you'll ever need.

PR students, especially nonprofit & political communication
should take a look at "Media Relations Handbook for Agencies, Associations, Nonprofits and Congress."

The author, Brad Fitch, teaches as an adjunct at American University in the School of Communications. He wrote Media Relations Handbook after working on the Hill for more than ten years and teaching PR courses at AU for five years.

Each chapter has a summary, and there are many checklist and tips throghout. He also has a chapter on "Honest Spin: The Ethics of Public Relations"

Great book to use as a college or graduate school text or as a supplement.

If you're a Public Information Officer, this book can help
"Offers a wealth of practical advice on public relations that will be of benefit to governmental and non-governmental organizations alike."
-- Municipal World, July 2004

Table of Contents
Ch. 1 First Steps
Ch. 2 Tools of the Craft
Ch. 3 Developing a Message and Communications Plan
Ch. 4 Interacting with Reporters
Ch. 5 Overview of the Media: Print, Radio, and TV
Ch. 6 Web-Based and Online Communications
Ch. 7 Dealing With the Principal
Ch. 8 Interview Preparation
Ch. 9 Internal Issues: Experts, Policy, Numbers, Leaks, Lawyers and Language
Ch. 10 How to Interact with Congressional Campaign Operations
Ch. 11 Communications in a Federal Agency
Ch. 12 Crisis Communications in Public Affairs
Ch. 13 Honest Spin: The Ethics of Public Relations

Although focused on media relations in Washington, PIOs can learn a lot from this book. For example, § 12.8 is "How to Use a Web Site in a Crisis", and § 2.14 is a "Press Conference Checklist".

Municipal World is right - it will benefit you.