Beyond Spin: The Power of Strategic Corporate Journalism

Due to factors both within and outside their control, companies of all types now face internal and external communication demands that are central to their ultimate success. Markos Kounalakis, Drew Banks, and Kim Daus accordingly argue in Beyond Spin that the most efficacious way to handle them is more complicated than some business leaders may initially imagine--but also more potent than the alternatives they may otherwise engage. Drawing on varied backgrounds in business and journalism, the authors craft a convincing argument for developing a holistic alliance between standard organizational communication and traditional Western journalism that meets these needs. The goal of this refreshingly progressive approach, which they've dubbed strategic corporate journalism, is to create "awareness and understanding through open, timely and accurate information flow." It has been employed in one manner or another by high-profile firms such as SGI, formerly Silicon Graphics, whose experiences under fire are examined in one chapter. Other chapters focus on the evolution and impact of in-house PR and journalism for public consumption; development of effective communication networks in knowledge-based organizations; consequences of adopting or rejecting these principles at companies such as Hewlett-Packard and ARCO; and future requirements these efforts will continually address. --Howard Rothman