Perry Parks has written an important new book, and I say that not just
because he quotes me seven times. The book, published by
Marion Street Press, is titled, “Making Important News Interesting
you write about public affairs, government, policy, health care,
utilities, taxation or business, you should heed the number-one
imperative of Perry Parks: “Refuse to be boring!”
Finally, we have a writing book for journalists that reimagines how
public affairs stories could — or should — be told. Parks stands at
the final frontier of the newswriting improvement movement in America
and asks why — if these stories are so important — we continue to
render them in ways that numb the reader’s sensibilities, like
novocaine for a root canal.
“This book aims to develop reporters and editors who can produce the
kind of public affairs journalism our democracy needs,” reads the copy
on the back cover, “instead of the kind we usually get. The
public affairs journalism we need is lively, direct, honest, powerful
and transparently important. The public affairs journalism we get
is dull, bureaucratic, insider-focused and occasionally
incomprehensible.”
In an age in which too much time is spent fooling people that interesting
news is important, we finally have a prophet who demands that we make
important news interesting. Now teaching at Michigan State University, Parks
brings to this book the experience and insight he gained as a reporter
and editor at The Virginian-Pilot, one of the nation’s most creative
newspapers.
This book deserves a place on a reporter or editor’s shelf — right next to “Writing Tools,” of course.
