Understanding Media Writing: Purposes and Practices

Donald Treadwell earned his masters degree in communication from Cornell University and his PhD in communication and rhetoric from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He developed and taught communication research classes in classroom and online settings as well as teaching courses in organizational communication, public relations and public relations writing. He has published and presented research on organizational image, consumer response to college names, health professionals images of AIDS, faculty perceptions of the communication discipline, and employers expectations of newly-hired communication graduates. His research appears in Communication Monographs, Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, Public Relations Review, Journal of Human Subjectivity, and Criminal Justice Ethics. He is professor emeritus, Westfield State University, and has international consulting experience in agricultural extension and health communication.Jill Treadwell has 30 years experience in publications and public relations. She has managed PR campaigns for the US and international companies as well as for non-profit and educational organizations. She has a background in both writing and design and has specialized in annual reports, newsletters, brochures, and proposals directed at state and federal procurement agencies.In addition to maintaining a private public relations consulting practice, she currently teaches public relations, public relations writing and other writing courses in both classroom and online settings at Westfield State College.