In recent years, museums have found themselves on the front pages for all the wrong reasons. News coverage, once reserved for exciting exhibits or landmark donations, now shines a harsh spotlight on controversies-leadership disputes, funding flaws, political orders and an array of reputational crises.

Two-thirds of museum leaders report feeling unprepared when facing journalists, with many describing their first media crisis as overwhelming and damaging. These stories, broadcast to national audiences, shape public perceptions in minutes, sometimes undoing years of careful work.

The heart of the issue lies in a critical-and often overlooked-gap: while museum directors typically master museum administration, curatorial or educational work, few possess the training or experience needed to respond to relentless media scrutiny. Nearly every museum, from the largest institution to local history centers, struggles with limited resources. This gap has led to missed opportunities for positive news coverage and, in some cases, public misunderstandings that have hurt careers and endangered institutional trust.

Museum Flack arrives at this moment to fill the void-an essential guide for everyone from students entering the field to seasoned executives and board members. Drawing from lessons earned in high-stakes media campaigns in aerospace and technology, and enriched by illuminating museum-specific case studies, this book lays out exactly how museum professionals can:

* Shape compelling narratives for the media
* Turn crisis moments into opportunities for trust-building
* Secure positive, national news coverage with thoughtful planning-not enormous budgets
* Confidently navigate the modern media landscape, from newspapers to TikTok

Museum Flack unpacks the techniques behind headlines and empowers any museum professional to advocate for their institution, safeguard its reputation, and seize the media spotlight for all the right reasons. Every chapter offers step-by-step tactics and real-world examples, transforming complex communications challenges into clear, actionable strategies.

The time to master museum public relations is now. Readers who embrace these lessons will champion their institutions, protect their legacies, and help museums thrive, even under the sharpest media lens.

Steven E. Lott is a corporate communications executive with more than 20 years of experience developing strategic public relations strategies and brand campaigns across diverse industries including aerospace, manufacturing, transportation, consumer brands and international trade policy. He is also a professor of strategic communication at American University, where he teaches a graduate- level university course about media relations.
Steve started his career as a journalist learning how to research, write and tell captivating stories to a wide variety of audiences. Now a corporate communications executive, Steve brings decades of real-world experience to many different industries. Whether he's working with corporate executives, non-profit leaders or students, Steve trains leaders without any experience how to develop captivating stories and earn news media coverage that will reach their target audience. Using proven public relations strategies and tactics, Steve regularly consults and provides spokesperson training and teaches crisis communication strategies and how to deal with organizational reputational damage.
Steve currently leads the global corporate communications and public relations function for Intel at the world's largest integrated satellite and terrestrial network operator. Previously, he served as a corporate communications executive at Raytheon Technologies and Boeing. Before joining Boeing, Steve worked at two different non-profit trade associations.
Steve is currently an adjunct professor in the American University (AU) School of Communications and is an advisor to the Northern Virginia Science Center on communications matters. Steve graduated from AU's Kogod College of Business with degrees in Marketing and Business Administration.