A Matter of Precedents

Book by Falbaum, Berl

Falbaum, a university instructor, has been a political reporter for the Detroit News and a public relations consultant. As such, he is certainly not lacking in real-life inspiration for his tale of corporate greed, media sensationalism, and "crisis management." By fictionalizing events, however, he is able to make his points even more obvious without stepping on any identifiable toes. Falbaum tells the story of Tim Kaufman, a public relations officer for Thompson Brakes Inc., a leading brake manufacturer whose employees have been exposed to asbestos dust over the years. Thompson failed to provide those employees with either warning or protection and is now embroiled in a battle over compensating victims of asbestos-related illness--a fight brought on and exacerbated by overzealous investigative reporting. Kaufman is caught in the middle, torn by his disdain for the media and the growing realization that his company is in the wrong. Falbaum cynically exposes the resulting cover-up, with its grandstanding, back stabbing, and scapegoating, and has Kaufman ultimately leaving the rat race to teach university journalism, just as Falbaum himself did. David Rouse