Richard Stanton, who wrote this text book, is my tutor. Classes have started, so it's likely that my reviewing of fiction and other leisure-time tomes will cease for a while. A few months maybe. I don't feel qualified to review this book.

I will say, however, that it was an entertaining read. I think that's important. Another text book that I'm currently reading for another class (linguistics) is a deadly bore. It was published, furthermore, in 1991, a long time before the Internet revolution. Many statements appear old-fashioned as a result.

Stanton's book, on the other hand, was published this year and covers much recent history. But it isn't just that. It's fun to read, too. The style is engaging and the narrative is brisk. Half theory and half practical material, it covers what a media officer will be expected to do. As the industry continues to professionalise, with recent graduates of tertiary institutions gaining entry to media companies and the public relations offices of private firms, theory will become more important. Customers will expect a level of professionalism that may have been absent ten or twenty years ago.

Stanton comes to teaching from the industry. This, too, will be more common. In fact, all my teachers so far (bar the linguistics professor who lectures us on Tuesday nights) have had industry experience. So there's a lot of cross-pollination going on. And I think that's a good thing.