Tag: writing

Grammar matters as an opportunity for all

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A year or so ago, I received an email from a faculty colleague on a university committee which was giving approval for one of my classes to receive special status as a writing class that would satisfy a particular university requirement. The class was given that status, but she had a question for me.

What did I think, she mused collegially, of the notion that teaching grammar and holding students to a grammatical standard was inappropriate these days. She shared the thoughts of several authors who say teaching and grading based on grammatical standards is unfair to minority students and a form of “white supremacy.” 

In a nutshell, I responded, I disagree. White supremacy is a serious charge, but it is applied too frequently and superficially to generate more than an eye roll as a response. I am sensitive to the fact that my students come from different backgrounds and have different learning styles. But I am also sensitive that when they enter a competitive job market, particularly in one demanding writing proficiency, grammar will matter universally. 

My arguments in favor of teaching grammar and holding students accountable to it are numerous and logical. For one, it is a negative stereotype that certain persons can’t master English grammar because of their race or culture. There is much evidence to the contrary. In fact, many of my minority students have shown greater grammatical clarity than some of my life-long English-speaking white students. It comes down to individual will and ability and not a foregone conclusion based on arbitrary group identity. My own family on my mother’s side came to the United States from another country and had to learn English and learn it well to adapt to a new country.

Also, insisting that students know and can apply the rules of grammar does not negate or disrespect multiple forms of individual and sub-cultural expression. I was told by one of my professors that I need to know those rules before I break them, and then give a reason why such as why it is more creative, expressive, or persuasive. Evidence of this can be seen in the sequence of English classes I had in high school, in which we were drilled on the rules of grammar including such monsters as future pluperfect tense and gerunds. In subsequent classes we were taught the works of “great” authors who were celebrated for breaking the rules we just learned. EE Cummings eschewed capitalization often, including referencing himself. The unusual dialogue stylings of Cormac McCarthy earned him awards. Grammatical variance is seen in professional work as well, such as the Apple ad campaign “Think Different”. Some criticized the campaign for an adverbial slip in not saying “Think Differently”. But that was the creative point. Of course, one would need to know grammar to see the play on words and double meaning of the campaign.

It is also important to look at grammar broadly to understand its universal importance. All languages have grammar—none of them are a form of supremacy. I have formerly studied German and Spanish. On my own I picked up a little French when I taught at a partner university in France four times and wanted to give greetings, find the bathroom, and order food. I am now Rosetta Stone to learn Dutch, the native language of my immigrant mother. In my travels in an earlier career I have traveled to a variety of countries and met people from around the world. If I attempted to learn and use a few words and phrases in Tagalog in the Philippines or Tiv with a Nigerian, I appreciated some gentle correction and instruction by native speakers who took the time with me. I have not only not been offended by reviewing the grammatical nuances of each language, I have found them to help me learn and make sense of each language.

Grammar should be seen as a structural foundation of a language that is common to all. All houses have foundations and the basics of windows and doors and roofs but still can vary in overall architectural style. Language is the same. In 25 years of teaching I have had students of a variety of races and some for whom English is a second language. These students, at the undergraduate and graduate level, have impressed me with their clear and insightful academic and professional expression, and this was made possible by grammar. The foundation of their writing was the same in grammatical basics, but they showed individuality in what and how they wrote and addressed a topic. Good musicians practice scales before playing music. Good athletes drill on fundamentals before competition. Good writers master grammar before demonstrating their particular style.

Grammar is not a form of oppression, it is an opportunity for equality. I would be ashamed not to teach it well to all my capable students. 

Has the AP Lost its Role as Standard for Writing?

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It used to be called the “bible” of journalism, and as such was widely respected by those in public relations who wrote news releases and other items sent to reporters.

But the Associated Press Style Guide has gone from an annual spiral bound book to an online subscription site with email updates to something potentially irrelevant. The Associated Press (AP) has gone from covering news and guiding how news should be covered to making news of its own. It has gone from promoting an objective style to pushing subjective and partisan framing.

This came to a head when the Trump administration banned the AP from the White House briefing room after the organization refused to acknowledge a name change from the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. However, a variety of sources have reported that there is more to it than that, including the Wall Street Journal, Daily Signal, and Axios. Other reporting revealed that the AP receives funding from the far-left Omidyar Network. It has also been noticed that the AP never covered the fact that more than 400 reporters had their press pass revoked by the Biden administration. 

Apart from the Gulf of America naming issue, criticism of the AP’s drift into leftist partisanship has been growing over time. Examples include their guidance to capitalized Black but not white when referring to a subject’s race. Or their “Transgender Topical Coverage Guide” that warns not to include comments from experts that are contrary to the approved narrative—an example that shows a taking of sides and censorship of voices that is far removed from non-partisan objectivity on which the AP built its reputation.

I have heard that many PR firms and corporate communication offices are eschewing the AP in favor of their own house style. I also see in many actual newspapers a style that is different than that of the AP (this could be negligence more than protest, but the case remains). Of course the emergence of blogs and independent journalism means much writing has gone from 3rd person to first person voice and other deviations from standard AP style. I have decided to not let my AP subscription auto-renew, and will explain all this to future classes and let the adoption of the AP guide be optional.

Meanwhile, since the AP thinks it does not have to respond to formal name changes, I have seen some change the name of the AP from Associated Press to other options. These include American Pravda, Aggregated Propaganda, or Associated Partisanship. Its notable that some of the alternatives seem more accurate and objective.

Muck Rack media relations certificate good for students or pros

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As an educator I have been grateful to companies in the public relations tech industry that offer students the opportunity to use their product, albeit in limited fashion, as part of their coursework.

I had always mentioned to these company reps at conferences and in response to the email marketing that they should offer up demos and student use options as a form of loss leader marketing. Give for free a limited use of their product to students, who upon graduation will ask their bosses and clients for budget to become full, paying customers.

Cision was one such company that really became a significant part of my Media Relations Writing course. In addition to writing a series of assignments and completing a media kit for a client, students had to develop a target media contact list. They were able to do this using Cision.

Just last year, Cision offered a certificate program. I encouraged students to seek this credential for their resumes since they had been taught the concepts in my class and had used Cision. Several took me up on it, and I was planning to institutionalize the Cision certificate as a graded assignment in my classes beginning this fall. But then Cision’s university program disappeared like a journalist suddenly going into PR.

From Cision to Muck Rack

Muck Rack to the rescue. Cision’s announcement came with about a month to go before fall classes started at my university. I scrambled to devise a way to do the media research aspect without this industry leading tool. Muck Rack came along like a PR pro helping a journalist on deadline.

Muck Rack started as a way to track and interact with journalists specifically on social media. It has expended into a full service media relations service for all aspects of that part of public relations–engaging journalists, monitoring news, and generating reports that go beyond clip counts to look at reach, engagement and response.

Recently, Muck Rack partnered with Business Wire, a news release distribution service that has evolved in its own right recently to include investor relations and analytics. The combination of the two service providers will help PR pros reach audiences via traditional and new media, including bloggers and podcasters.

Get certified

Meanwhile, Muck Rack has also added Muck Rack Academy. The new venture currently offers certificates in Fundamentals of Media Relations and Fundamentals of Social Media. Both are free and serve a sort of white paper purpose–offering and demonstrating expertise in order to gain clients.

The media relations certificate will replace the Cision certificate I was going to require in my class. As a good professor should, I took the course (and passed!) to ensure it is appropriate and useful for students. I think it certainly is. It can be done in less than two hours, is free, and the content is well presented and savvy. Students can enhance their resume and LinkedIn profile by noting this certificate. New pros or those who have taken on a media relations role at times without any PR degree might find this certificate practically very useful.

To my fellow college professors, I would recommend the Muck Rack for Educators program. You get access to the basic Muck Rack features and can add your students as “teammates,” assigning them to various media database activities as experiential learning. I responded to an email invitation from them, but you can reach out to a Muck Rack rep and ask about the program. Your students will benefit.

‘Media Relations Writing’ Book Available Now

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Penning Kindle Front CoverFor two reasons I have written my own textbook.

First, students and I were not happy with the variety of textbooks about public relations, PR writing or media relations writing available now from academic and other publishers. They didn’t find them useful, and they weren’t reading the assigned book.

Second,  I am often asked by professionals–in public relations or in other roles who sometimes need to write a press release or do some other form of media relations—if they can pick my brain, have me give them some advice, or otherwise tell them about how to work with journalists.

So I turned my lectures into a book that could be useful in a college classroom, a PR department at any organization, or as a guide for anyone working in other professions who nevertheless have to try to gain publicity for something and they are not sure how.

The result is “Media Relations Writing: A Guide for PR Pros (or anyone who just wants publicity). Yes, it’s a long title and subtitle but it covers the market.

I’ve been field testing it on students in my media relations writing course this semester. They are reading it, and they like it for its clarity and practicality. They also like the price–free!

For others, the price is also right. It ranges from $4.99 to $14.99 depending on format (e-book or paperback) and the platform. The book is out now on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Apple Books.

To find out more, see the books page on my Penning Ink website.