December 1st: this week’s top 5
Friday’s come around quickly again. And I’m still struggling to read through all my feeds, but I did get a chance to look at some. Here’s a selection: 
1. How to blog like a pro by Matthew Stibbe. One of my favourite bloggers, Matthew has some great advice for beginners. The cartoon is funny too.
2. Kami has an interesting take on messaging strategy. She boils it down to four steps. Well worth a read.
3. Mike agrees with me. Therefore he must be clever to say, ‘SourceWatch must think TV journalists are S-T-U-P-I-D.
4. On businessweek.com, Helen Walters summarizes the winners of Britain’s Design Effectiveness Awards, which reward design innovation that drives sales. I love the commercial focus on an issue some regard as aesthetic only. Strive’s design clients, take note!
5. Say it ain’t so! Media Orchard’s been missing for more than a week! Ever since I first started Strive Notes about 10 months ago, MO has been one of my faves. With multiple posts daily, it’s often the first with news and I love the humour. Now Scott confesses that with the launch of Spin Thicket, a story aggregator, he’s bitten off more than he can chew. He promises to start blogging again soon. Thank goodness.
And what dear Strivers, have you all been reading?
Filed under: public relations
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I don’t see why there is any difference between a VNR and a print news release. It’s not the “product” that is good or bad — but how it’s used. The best use of a VNR (just like a print news release) is to use it as a basis for information and separately confirm whatever information you do use. I personally think it’s better to use the soundbites and video and then re-write the script — just how you should for print.
To the question of “Are TV reporters stupid?” Just remember — it’s much harder work to simplify the complicated, than to complicate the simple. The former is what TV reporters do everyday — and under ridiculous deadline pressure. So, you decide.