Miami Herald's new design

The Miami Herald begins its second century of publishing with a new design, authored by a team coordinated by Mario Garcia, who redesigned The Wall Street Journal. Mr. Garcia, the president and CEO of Garcia Media, is a faculty member of The Poynter Institute for Media Studies, and has completed his masters and doctoral studies at the University of Miami. Explaining the design's rationales, Mr. Garcia indicates how the internet is modifying the way we are accessing information:

The emergence of the Internet, and the fact that so many newspaper readers browse websites, where navigation is a key element, has made it even more important for the modern newspaper. Readers unconsciously transfer some of their Internet quick browsing behavior when they come to print.

The new features of The Herald includes:

• a new navigational system, tailored for three categories of readers: traditional, "scanners", and "supersonic readers"


• the 5 minute Herald, that allows the reader to browse in just one page all important headlines and stories


• color coded sections


• summaries of the news, providing context for the headlines


• "smart boxes", designed to give information at a glance


• new fonts and colors


• new tropical life tabloid sections

New books on international PR

Two recent books for students and professionals interested in international public relations:

» Toward the Common Good (Allyn & Bacon), "the first comprehensive discussion and analysis of public relations in emerging democracies by the world's leading scholars in the field," edited by our faculty advisor, Dr. Donn J. Tilson, APR, Fellow PRSA, and by Emmanuel C. Alozie:

Focusing on countries in Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, this text offers both theoretical foundations and practical applications for public relations in a global context. It examines a broad range of public relations practices and institutions within a discussion of history, politics, economics, culture, and communication. The text offers a multicultural approach that includes both well-known scholars and new, alternative voices.

Features:
# Introductory essays to each regional section
# Country profiles at the beginning of each chapter
# Key points and discussion questions
# Lists of web sites with additional sources for information on topics and organizations referenced in the chapters.

» The Global Public Relations Handbook (Lawrence Erlbaum Associates), edited by Krishnamurthy Sriramesh and Dejan Vercic:

Each chapter covers the history, development and status of public relations within a specified country or area, and considers the profession in relation to such factors as: the political environment; the level of economic development; the culture; the media environment; and activism. A case study offers insights into the specifics of practice. The second section of the handbook provides a consideration of public relations practice in a global setting, with chapters analyzing the operations of: multinational corporations; foreign governments; international organizations; NGOs; and multinational public relations agencies.

Globalization: Challenges & Opportunities for Public Relations -- Call for papers

Globalization: Challenges & Opportunities for Public Relations is the theme of the 7th International Public Relations Research Conference to be held March 2004 in Miami, Florida. Graduate students, PR faculty and PR professionals are invited to submit competitive abstracts for paper presentation. The deadline for abstract submission is December 12, 2003. More information is available on IPR's website [PDF]. The director of the conference is Dr. Don W. Stacks, Advertising and Public Relations Program Director at UM School of Communication.

IPR published the first International Index of Bribery for News Coverage

The Institute for Public Relations issued the first International Index of Bribery for News Coverage:

"Bribery of the news media in too many countries robs citizens of credible information they need to make personal and collective decisions. This comprehensive research for the first time gives us an index that ranks 66 of the world's nations for the likelihood that print journalists will seek or accept cash for news coverage from government officials, businesses, or other news sources.

The index was developed to provide a useful quantitative measure by which countries can track their progress over time and compared to other nations. Whether a country ranks high or low, many parties are adversely affected - journalists, news sources, advertisers, government policy makers, and the consuming public. Public relations professionals and journalists alike - as citizens who best understand the importance of media integrity - need to take leadership roles in eliminating this unethical practice."

The report is available for download in PDF format [160 kB].

Up2Speed is now MarketingWonk

Up2Speed, "the single source for no-nonsense Internet marketing news," changed its name to MarketingWonk, and for good reasons. This will not affect in any way their excellent newsletters (my favorites are I-Blog and I-PR).

UM Fall Career Expo on September 25

Don't miss the Fall Career Expo, on September 25, from 11 am to 4 pm, at the Wellness Center. Check the listing -- you will find that a couple of companies are looking for interns majoring in Communication. Good luck!