PR Writing: Chapter 2

Three ideas I took away from chapter two of the textbook are as follows:

1. “Illiteracy does not breed respect.”
   1. I absolutely love this quote. I believe that it, and the section it was written in, perfectly explain why there should be more emphasis on learning to speak and write properly. I have always been “turned-off” by obvious grammatical errors in any situation and try my best to learn more about the English language and AP style so that I do not make mistakes as well.
2. There’s a difference between corporate and commercial speech.
   1. I knew that these two types of communication existed, but not the proper names for them. I find it interesting that corporate speech, which is used by PR professionals, came under attack in the Nike case; threatening our very way of communication.
3. There is so much more to ethics than one considers.
   1. It is not just the blatant examples of debauchery most people think of when it comes to breaches of ethics; there are blurred lines and miscommunications. Even something that could be considered polite, such as paying for reporters’ travel expenses, could land a company in serious trouble.

I thought about public relations in a new way when I read about the importance of grammar. Deep down in my head I knew that grammar was important and I have always attempted to be the best I can when I write and speak, but seeing the reasons for proper grammar put in front of me was eye opening. I realized how embarrassing it would be to send a great news release to a journalist just to have it thrown away before it’s even read because of a simple grammar mistake. Proof-reading is the key!

The mini-lesson in grammar this chapter provided the reader with will definitely be the most useful to my writing. Now I know that if I need a quick reference guide to grammar and writing I can check out chapter two in this book and find answers.

The most useful part of the chapter to my professional goals is definitely the section on trademarks, copyrights, privacy, and defamation. When you work in sports, these themes are prevalent with logos, catch phrases, brands, personalities, etc. so having a comprehensive knowledge behind the legal aspect of PR will be vital to my success.