Cutlip & Center's Effective PUBLIC RELATIONS

1. Cutlip & Center'sEffectivePUBLIC RELATIONS PART IV The Practice Chapter 16 Government and Public Affairs Tenth Edition

2. Study Guide After studying Chapter 16, you should be able to: • List and discuss the seven major goals of government public affairs programs. • Outline the three major barriers to effective public relations in government. • Identify the major aspects of government–media relations. • Describe public relations’ role in the military. 16-1

3. Government and Public Affairs 0 “A popular government without popular information or a means of acquiring it is but a prologue to a farce or tradegy, or perhaps both.” —James Madison 16-2

4. Goals of Public Affairs in Government 0 • Informing constituents about the activities of a government agency • Ensuring active cooperation in government programs • Fostering citizen support for established policies and programs 16-3

5. Goals of Public Affairs in Government 0 • Serving as the public’s advocate to government administrators 5. Managing information internally 6. Facilitating media relations 7. Building community and nation 16-4

6. Informing Constituents: Within the United States 0 • Every federal department and agency has a public affairs (public relations) function. • Each is predicated on informing and educating, not lobbying for a desired outcome. • Government public affairs at all levels uses public affairs to inform constituents about governmental activities and services. 16-5

7. Informing Constituents: Within the United States 0 • Serves as authoritative, accurate, objective, and comprehensive news source. • Projects balanced and comprehensive views of American thought and institutions. • Presents U.S. policies clearly and effectively, as well as responsible discussions and opinions on those policies 16-6

8. Ensuring Active Cooperationin Government Programs 0 • Government is intended to provide services that would otherwise be impractical for individuals or groups to provide. • Changes in society have created problems and issues that require new regulation and government procedures. • Citizens have grown to expect more from all levels of government. 16-7

9. Fostering CitizenParticipation and Support 0 • The basic justification for government public affairs rests on two fundamental principles: • Democratic government must report its activities to the citizens. • Effective government administration requires active participation and support. 16-8

10. Serving as the Public’s Advocate 0 1. Public affairs officers monitor constituents’ views through polling, interviewing, and maintaining contact in the community. 2. Public affairs officers represent the people’s values, opinions, and interests to government officials. 3. Public affairs officers must balance the need to communicate the government agenda with the need to communicate the public’s views back to government. 16-9

11. Government Public Affairs Challengesin the European Union (EU) 0 • Tensions around borders of new member states • Concerns that the big three—Germany, Britain, and France—will dominate the Union • Ideological debates over how to harmonize tax policies across the EU countries • Divergent economies arising from differences in the robustness of member states’ economies • Policy differences about the movement of tourists and workers across national borders 16-10

12. Barriers of EffectiveGovernment Public Affairs 0 • Questionable credibility—perceptions of government public affairs as “just PR” or “propaganda,” implemented by “spin doctors” or “flacks.” • Public apathy—contempt for politicians and cynicism about the motives of government. • Legislative hostility—erroneous perceptions that government public affairs is forbidden by law. 16-11

13. Hostility AgainstGovernment Public Affairs 0 • Continuing struggle between the press (the people’s right to know”) and government officials’ perceived need for discretion • Unrelenting power struggle between the legislative and executive branches of government • Escalating power struggle between the major political parties • Protests of special interests when threatened by proposed legislation or regulations 16-12

14. Government Dependence on Media 0 Except for well-defined areas, such as national security, litigation, certain personnel records, etc., virtually all government information is open to inspection by the press, as well as by the public. 16-13

15. Media Access to Government:Embedded Journalists During “Operation Iraqi Freedom” 0 • Embedded journalists’ stories were less contextualized and more episodic than those of nonembedded journalists. • Embedded coverage was more favorable toward the military and its personnel than that of nonembedded journalists. • Embedded coverage of Operations Iraqi Freedom was more positive than that of other conflicts with few embedded journalists. 16-14

16. Concerns about Embedded Journalists During “Operation Iraqi Freedom” 0 • Embedded journalists during military operations affected both the nature and tone of news coverage. • Embedded journalists must conduct self-censorship, which may lead to less objective reporting and disclosure. • Episodic coverage absent context could force embedded journalists to ignore broader views and more meaningful details of war. 16-15

17. Statement of Principle for Military Public Affairs 0 “The American public must be informed about the United States’ military operations, and this information must be provided through both the news media and the government.” —Colonel Barry E. Willey Military Review (1999) 16-16

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