To get you thinking here is a thought-provoking question:
Are you tired of the spin during during the last election (and since then) fanned by journalists who seem more fascinated by performance than content?
Perhaps the political scene needs technical communicators to bring everyone back to earth. So, send us you contribution to go in our list of the top ten signs that technical communicators have taken over from the spin doctors. We look forward to hearing from you.
News, articles, and reviews for technical communicators, presented by the STC Australia Chapter.
I think there needs to be more rigour in all forms of public communication. So much of it has been hijacked by individuals and organisations with "an agenda". The pressure to come up with stories quickly also means that journalists often propagate content without adequate verification.
ReplyDeleteSo, Colin, for you a sign that public comment has been written by a technical communicator rather than a policital commentator or politician is that (a) the writer does not have an ulterior motive and (b)) the facts have been checked :-) That's two of our top ten signs already.
ReplyDeleteTech writer with ulterior motive? Trust me - I'm a tech writer! But about the facts being checked - the global warming "debate" was a source of frustration for me for about five years, with otherwise intelligent journalists running the "counter argument", assuming this was the way to give a balanced view, when in fact they were regurgitating spin that had already been discredited. Then there's the whole celebrity cult thing that often passes for news...yep, bring in the tech writers. I want news broadcasts where every paragraph starts with a verb and ends with an outcome.
ReplyDelete