Basic Public Affairs Specialist Course Internal information The introduction to Public Affairs, only scratched the surface of internal information. Many of you may have a goal of becoming a writer, but who are you going to write most of your stories for? In general, it will be the people on your installation or in your units -- the internal public. Target Audience Goals Characteristics Target Message PA Products The Defense Information School, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland 1
Target audience The internal audience includes servicemembers, family members, civilian employees, retirees and local national employees. Junior service members are the primary target audience. Members of your internal audience are unique in that they are more interested in military matters than your external audience. However, they are the same as your external audience in that they are average people from across the United States with the same wants and needs. They want accurate information in a timely manner to help them make decisions important to them. With this in mind, certain goals within our internal information mission have been established. Let s take a look at them. Photo courtesy of Defense Imagery 2 The Center of Excellence for Visual Information and Public Affairs
Goals The overall goal of the internal information program is to improve morale and increase productivity so the military can accomplish its mission. This is done through the following six goals or objectives: Link DOD members and their leaders through a free flow of news and information. Our military services have a long history of internal information. During the Revolutionary War, Gen. George Washington established internal information programs as a commander s responsibility. The first camp newspapers began during the Mexican War. During World War I, Gen. John J. Black Jack Pershing carried on Washington s tradition when he authorized the Stars and Stripes, a newspaper for those on the Western Front. When Lt. George Washington Goethals of the Army Corps of Engineers was tasked to build the Panama Canal, he established a community newspaper to help him communicate with his workers and members of Congress. This tradition is alive and well today, and you will be part of it. Help DOD members understand their roles in the department s mission. People want to know how they fit into an organization. This is especially important in an organization the size of DOD. Military leaders often have to make decisions unpopular with those under their command. However, service members are more likely to buy into these decisions if they can see how they will fit into the overall mission. Explain how policies, programs and operations affect DOD members. Nothing can lower morale in the military more than a lack of information about policies, programs and operations. A well-informed military is one that is confident in its leaders and has high morals. Promote good citizenship and build pride. Surveys show the American people trust the U.S. military above all other government institutions. Part of the reason is members of DOD have a strong sense of patriotism and citizenship. Pride in personal appearance and how the uniform is worn goes a long way in building this confidence among U.S. citizens. It will be your job to communicate this sense of patriotism and citizenship so service members continue to uphold these values. Recognize individual and team achievements. Nothing boosts a person s morale better than being recognized for a job well done. It can make the difference between a service member separating from the military or re-enlisting. Recognition makes people feel appreciated and more likely to do a better job. Recognition is especially important to those people who are often overlooked junior enlisted members and civilians. Provide avenues for feedback. Credibility is the key to a strong internal information program. To gain this credibility it is crucial you establish a communication network where candid information flows freely up, down and sideways. It is natural for people to want to have their opinions heard. Although leaders may not agree with their opinions, people are more likely to follow orders and accept decisions if they feel their opinions are valued. The Defense Information School, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland 3
Characteristics of various internal media You are fortunate to learn the practice of public affairs in DOD. The Department of Defense has some incredible tools to help it run an effective PA program. These tools fall into four main categories displays, oral, print and electronic. DISPLAYS include posters, bulletin boards and static displays, such as planes, weapons and vehicles. Advantages a. Present powerful symbols b. Relatively permanent c. Cost effective because displays can be reused d. Easily understood. Look at any commonly recognized symbol, the Coke bottle, the globe and anchor of the Marine Corps, etc.; they are the proverbial picture worth a thousand words Disadvantages a. Establishing a new symbol people will retain and accept An example might be the Army s beret. In the fall of 2001, the Army s black beret became standard headgear for all soldiers. It was an attempt by the Army chief of staff to boost morale and unify soldiers. Although the majority of soldiers now accept the black beret, there was a backlash when the idea was first introduced. Before the beret became standard issue, it was a symbol worn by members of the elite Rangers. Some soldiers felt the beret should remain a symbol of elite forces and should not be worn by all. To this day, the controversy lingers. As you can see, uniform items serve as symbols that carry a great deal of emotional impact. b. Symbols can evoke different meanings and feelings to different people For example, May 1, 2003, President George W. Bush spoke to the nation from the flight deck of the USS Lincoln. His goal was to thank the coalition forces for their efforts in taking Iraq and its capital Baghdad. A large Mission Accomplished banner served as a backdrop for the president. In his speech he said, Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed. As we now know, the mission was not accomplished. The speech and the banner instantly became a huge controversy. Although the president said there was much work to still be done in Iraq, few people heard that. In fact, most people can t remember anything the president said that day. All they remember is the banner. 4 The Center of Excellence for Visual Information and Public Affairs
ORAL includes commanders call, musters/formations, subject-matter expert briefings, town hall meetings and the grapevine. Advantages a. Has the highest level of credibility b. Allows for instant feedback and nonverbal communication, which can strengthen communication Disadvantages The disadvantage of oral communication is that grapevines can t be managed. Oral communication is only effective with small audiences. An example of this disadvantage is when a particular oral message is repeated a number of times to folks who were not a part of the original audience. The more a message is passed on orally, the more there is a chance of the meaning changing or being left out. Photos courtesy of Defense Imagery The Defense Information School, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland 5
PRINT includes newspapers, magazines, brochures and installation guides. Advantages a. Highly credible and inexpensive b. People tend to believe what they see in print, and they tend to retain the information longer c. The ability to disseminate a more indepth message and control quality better Disadvantages a. The message may change before distribution time b. Takes a long time to disseminate, and it makes it difficult to target a message to a particular audience 6 The Center of Excellence for Visual Information and Public Affairs
ELECTRONIC includes the Internet, television, radio, film and slide presentations, computers, teleconferencing and telephones. Advantages a. The immediacy of the message when it is aired live b. The medium s high visual impact, the large audience size, and its high level of credibility because seeing is believing Disadvantages a. High cost of equipment and supplies b. Limited time available to transmit the message c. The audience can turn media off at anytime d. The low capability for quality control at the receiving end e. Difficulty of getting the intended audience to see the message Photos courtesy of Defense Imagery The Defense Information School, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland 7
Target a message Regardless of what tool you use, communication can be effective when it is delivered to the right audience in the right manner or it can become meaningless words or images. We briefly reviewed the four-step process in the introduction section of this course. In this section we will get more indepth. Working through the four-step public affairs process research, plan, implement and evaluate will help you target your message so you operate an effective internal information program. An easy acronym to help you remember these four steps is RPIE. During the research step, answer the following questions: a. What is the information that needs to be disseminated? b. Who needs to know this information? c. What internal media are available for this program? d. What is the timeline for disseminating the information? While planning, ensure you complete these tasks: a. Set up a timeline for the project. b. Determine what media should be used to deliver the information. c. Coordinate support needed from other staff sections or agencies. R Research P Plan IE Evaluate I Implement Finally, remember the evaluation step. Make sure you survey the audience, either formally or informally, and conduct afteraction reviews with participants. If you are trying to communicate a message about a single event or program, resist the urge to change the plan during the implementing phase. For ongoing programs or events, set aside time during the planning phase for periodic evaluations. 8 The Center of Excellence for Visual Information and Public Affairs
Publish and distribute public affairs products Now that you have the basic knowledge of targeting your message, let s take a look at one of your tools -- print -- and get this message out to your target audience. There are two main sources to get your installation newspaper or magazine published -- civilian enterprise and government funded. Civilian enterprise vs government funded There are no costs to the government when military installations use civilian enterprise publications. The publisher sells advertising to offset the cost of manpower in printing the installations newspapers. The right to circulate the advertising on the installation is the contractual obligation between the publisher and installation and not the exchange of money. Normally only one publication will be published on an installation no matter how many organizations are located there. The civilian enterprise newspaper is printed by a contractor. The government-funded publication is usually printed at a government printing facility but may be out-sourced or contracted to a civilian publisher. Because the paper is government funded, it does not contain paid advertising. Distribution -- A civilian enterprise or a government-funded product is normally done by a publishing company. There are some important distribution guidelines that should be in the contract. The publisher should have the ability to send the product by third- or fourth- class mail. Installation distribution -- Ensure the contract specifically states the hightraffic areas where the paper should be delivered such as: 1. Major command buildings 2. Housing areas 3. Exchanges 4. Seven-day stores 5. Commissary 6. Fitness centers 7. Bowling alley If it s not in the contract, the installation public affairs office is responsible for distribution. The Defense Information School, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland 9
Readership surveys and benefits A readership survey can benefit your public affairs office. A informed. Surveys evaluate whether or not the public affairs shop is keeping its readership In turn, you can also find out what your audience prefers to read. Surveys should discuss distribution are the papers being delivered to the correct location, and are the papers going to the most traveled areas on the installation? Is B the publisher delivering the papers in keeping with the contract? C What makes people pick up your paper and read it? a. Usefulness of topics covered b. Value and effectiveness of the publication D The survey should also determine if the publication helps inform civilians about the installation s mission. a. The best spokespeople are installation personnel and their family members. b. Educating the readership makes them better installation ambassadors in the community. c. Has the publication helped the military community better understand the local community what the community has to offer its military counterparts? d. Your publication should build a bridge between your internal and external audiences. After a survey is taken, the public affairs office staff needs to tell readers the results of the survey and give them feedback on their comments. Publish the results in the E newspaper and on the installation s website. 10 The Center of Excellence for Visual Information and Public Affairs
Public affairs role in producing DOD websites The policies and regulations of releasing information haven t changed since introduction of the Internet, just the way it is released. 1. Release authority - There must be strict policies and regulations on the release of information on the World Wide Web. 2. Commanders are responsible for web site operations, with control delegated to team members from different offices. c. Public affairs is responsible for content d. Communication or signal is responsible for design and technical expertise. e. Website administration includes: operational security officer, information assurance, Freedom of Information Act, Privacy Act monitors 3. Defenselink is the official publicly accessible website for the Department of Defense. It provides an official single point of access to all DOD information on the World Wide Web, and establishes a means to ensure that the information is readily accessible, properly cleared and released in an accurate, consistent, appropriate and timely manner. The Defense Information School, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland 11
Principles of website authoring and design Now that we ve identified public affairs is responsible for website content, let s look at authoring and design. An official military website must have a clearly defined mission and purpose. All information posted must support that mission and purpose. 1. Authoring -- official military websites must complete security certification and accreditation procedure in accordance with Department of Defense Instruction 5200.40, a single source of information to prevent duplication and a Government Information Locator Service or GILS registration. The sites must also have approved DOD security and privacy notices, use only plain text or hyerlinked text for visitors of software download sites (like Adobe), and have no cookies that collect personal information about visitors. 2. Links -- Official military websites must not contain inappropriate links, operational security information, personal information, for official use only information, copyrighted material, inactive links, commercial trademarks, product endorsements, advertisements or commercial sponsors. 3. Design -- web design has some similarities with newspaper design. Reading starts in the upper left corner, key design elements should be seen without excessive scrolling, color scheme is simple and body text is consistent. 12 The Center of Excellence for Visual Information and Public Affairs
Commander s access channel Another tool that is very popular is television. The purpose of the channel is to run character-generated messages, locally produced programs and military produced news programs, such as American Forces Information Service Navy/Marine Corps News, Soldier s Radio and Television stories and Air Force newscasts. If an installation does not have a public accessible channel, the commander can request one from the local cable company that supplies the service to the installation. Photos courtesy of Defense Imagery The Defense Information School, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland 13
Basic Public Affairs Specialist Course Conclusion Remember, as public affairs specialists, the results of your hard work will help build confidence between fellow workers, ensure information flows freely throughout the command, and provide your internal audience the information they need to perform their assignments proficiently. Also, keep in mind it is your job to increase morale by keeping your fellow military members informed about benefits available to them and recognizing their achievements and efforts. 14 The Center of Excellence for Visual Information and Public Affairs
References References (2005) Air Force instruction 35-101: Public affairs policies and procedures. http://www.e-publishing.af.mil/shared/media/epubs/afi35-101.pdf Retrieved May 04, 2009 Seitel, F. (1994). The practice of public relations (6th ed.) Prentice Hall Professional Technical Reference. (2000) Army regulation 360-1: The Army public affairs program. http://www.asaie.army.mil/public/ie/toolbox/documents/r360_1.pdf Retrieved May 04, 2009 (2005) Air Force instruction 35-101: Public affairs policies and procedures. http://www.e-publishing.af.mil/shared/media/epubs/afi35-101.pdf Retrieved May 04, 2009 (1987) SECNAVINST 5720.44A: Public affairs policy and regulation. http://www.cpf.navy.mil/subsite/ehimemaru/legal/exhibit_11.pdf Retrieved May 04, 2009 (1997) Department of Defense instruction: Department of Defense newspapers, magazines, and civilian enterprise publications. http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/ins1.html Retrieved 04 May 2009 Department of Defense directive 5120.20: Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS). http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/512020p.pdf Certified current as of January 2004. Retrieved May 04, 2009 The Defense Information School, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland 15
References (2007) Department of Defense directive 5105.74: Defense media activity (DMA). http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/510574p.pdf Retrieved May 05, 2009 (1993) Department of Defense directive 5122.11: Stars and Stripes (S&S) newspapers and business operations. http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/512211p.pdf Certified current as of 5 March, 2004. Retrieved 04 May 2009 Confidence in Government Institutions, Gallup Poll, May 23-26, 2005. Retrieved July 27, 2005 from PollingReport.com: http://www.pollingreport.com/institut.htm 16 The Center of Excellence for Visual Information and Public Affairs