Review: The Basics of Media Writing: A Strategic Approach

Text by Scott Kuehn and Andrew Lingwall offers a coaching approach tailored to its readers

Reviewed by Carol Terracina-Hartman, CMR Managing Editor

“The Basics of Media Writing: A Strategic Approach” takes results from writing faculty surveys, writing student surveys, qualitative interviews with media professionals and adds some classical rhetoric to offer a strategy-based introductory media writing textbook. Research and rhetoric are a tall order for an introductory textbook, especially one that’s  not dry, dated, and completely out of context for the millennial generation. But, authors Scott A. Kuehn and James Andrew Lingwall argue, they are taking aim at a modern medium and updating the methods by which professors teach as they offer strategic writing models for students to follow.

The Basics of Media Writing published by CQ Press Sage Publishing, ISBN 9781506308104.

In short, the authors, both professors of communication at Clarion University of Pennsylvania, crafted a textbook designed to get students thinking strategically about their writing, from approach through to publication.

“Millennials are not approaching writing the same way you and I would,” Lingwall said. “With these three research studies – and the textbooks rooted in the ’80s and ’90s seem so tired. We wanted to punch up content with a [coaching] approach: ‘you can do it.’”

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