Cambridge Business Association
Beyond Spin
Book

Beyond Spin

The Power of Strategic Corporate Journalism

Markos Markos, Drew Banks and Kim Daus
Jossey-Bass, 1999
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Editorial Rating

8

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Recommendation

In a world overloaded with spin, the only way to cut through the bull is with the truth. So say the authors of Beyond Spin, which advises executives to allow their corporate communications staff to act as internal investigative journalists. The authors maintain that only by revealing the truth within your organization can you hope to guide the flow of information about and around your company in the digital era. Although many executives might find these concepts unworkable, getAbstract.com highly recommends this example-filled look for its fresh perspective on corporate communications.

Summary

Changing Strategies

Strategic corporate journalism blends journalistic principles with organizational communications strategies. Historically, most organizations have behaved as dictatorial political structures by relying on centrally orchestrated communications. This strategy has its roots in the industrial age’s mechanistic management practices, and its time has come to an end. The past three decades have produced tremendous changes that have led to today’s new corporate journalistic strategies:

  • Knowledge has surpassed labor.
  • Hierarchy has given way to flattened organizations where once-centralized control is now distributed.
  • Mechanistic systems have evolved into organic models.

All of these changes lead to the simple conclusion that for systems to survive, they need to communicate in dramatically new ways. Old communication and press strategies are useless in today’s business environment. Today’s communications strategies must meet the needs of the knowledge workforce, operating globally in super-fast Internet time, and protect confidentiality and intellectual property in an increasing boundryless, networked world.

Corporate...

About the Authors

Markos Kounalakis a print and network broadcast journalist has also written for Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, and the Los Angeles Times. He is the author of Defying Gravity: The Making of Newton. Drew Banks, SGI’s director of employee communications and integrated performance support, speaks regularly at professional forums on various intranet-related topics. Kim Daus, a former newspaper and magazine publisher, has managed worldwide intranet operations and communication strategies at SGI, including Junction, the company’s intranet portal site.

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