Understanding municipal public relations and government communications

Municpal Public Relatons

Municipal Public Relations

WHAT ARE PUBLIC RELATIONS?

The term public relations can mean different things to different people. Many people have a negative understanding and image of public relations based on what they have seen in or heard from the media. Many people associate public relations people as those being attached to celebrities and entertainers. Public relations specialist or publicists are generally the ones that do damage control after an unflattering event has happened to the celebrity. They try to maintain the image of the person to the public and some feel that this is not always done truthfully. Bowen says that when some of us think of public relations, we picture the character of Samantha Jones from Sex and the City. This character is a publicist, but she is mainly seen attending parties and such for celebrities. Bowen says that we never see her doing the grunt work required of a real publicist such as working with statistics and other pertinent information (2009). Because so many of us are glued to our television sets after a long day at the office, this is how most of us form our opinion on various topics and public relations and publicists is one of them. We judge this profession chiefly on what we have seen in the media.

However, the entertainment industry is not the only industry that makes use of public relations. Public relations are a part of many large businesses and nonprofit organizations and many are surprised to discover that public relations are an important part of government. When it happens in government, it is called municipal public relations. This may be intentional and as a way to intentionally let the public know that public relations in government is not the same as the field of public relations that most of us think we are familiar with.

The municipal public relations lines may have been blurred with the most recent race for the presidency. With all of the media attention given to it and especially Barack Obama and Sarah Palin, these two government officials were transformed into cultural icons right before the public's eyes. We can thank the media and to a certain extent, their publicists for making this happen. Each candidate had to be seen in a favorable light and each candidate was no doubt coerced and coached by their publicists and others on what to say about the issues and about their opponents in order to maintain a positive public image.

The most recent presidential campaign could serve as a reminder to some that public relations are the same no matter what arena it is used in. But, if we take a step back and focus on the smaller issues within government instead of the bigger ones like presidential campaigns, we discover that municipal public relations is for the most part entirely different from what most of know in our minds is public relations. Municipal public relations may have some similarities as public relations, but the focus is on making sure proper and pertinent information is relayed to the public regarding government agencies, programs and institutions so that they can make sound and informed choices.

III. PUBLIC RELATIONS FOR LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES

The Federal Citizens Information Center's website would be a good model for any local municipality to emulate. All of the topics on the federal website may not be applicable for a local website or they may be applicable but on a smaller scale. In the case of providing information for a fire service organization, specific guidelines should be outlines in advance of launching the website so that the individual managing the fire service organization not only knows what his responsibilities are, but so that he also knows what information should be included on the website that would best inform the citizens.

The basics of public relations, no matter what sector and what type of organization, consists of several things. There will be a need for press releases, press conferences, and image surveys. The fire-service organization manager handling public relations for this type of organization must be aware of each of these components and how they each should be handled so that the transfer of information to the public is optimal.

Press Release

It is understandable that with a fire-service organization press releases will be necessary. If new programs are instituted, or changes to existing programs are made a press release may be the best and simplest form of communication. The information released to the press can also be made available on the organization's website for the citizens.

Press Conference

Press conferences are held for various reasons. Usually, if something major has happened a press conference is necessary. In the case of a fire service organization a press conference may be necessary to do damage control if the organization appears to have failed in some of its duties. Press conferences do not have to be associated with negative occurrences, though. Sometimes organizations may hold a press conference to announce information that will cause the organization to gain media attention to bring awareness to the organization. In the case of a fire-service organization, a press conference could be held to announce the filling of a high position within the organization, or an announcement could be made such as the organization giving away free smoke detectors on a certain day. This is something that would most certainly bring positive awareness of the organization.

Image Surveys

A major component of public relations is finding out how the public views an entity or organization. A fire-service organization is no different. Image surveys should periodically be done to gauge the public's opinion on various issues. Once this information has been gathered and organized, it will aid the public relation officer in determining if new programs should be developed and what changes should be made to existing programs. If the organization already has a website in place, a press release or even a press conference can be made announcing that taking the survey online is an option for the citizens.

IV. CONCLUSION

Public relations have been around in certain areas such as the entertainment industry for a while. Individuals such as celebrities, musicians, and athletes have used the services of a public relations specialist for years. During the mid-1940's, the need for municipal public relations was recognized. However, not everyone was on board with this concept because of the opinions already formed about public relations as a profession. But the fact that citizens should be informed on government products and services was recognized and the Federal Information Center was created.

An example of a government agency is a fire-service organization. Like many other government entities, this type of organization would do well to establish guidelines and determine in advance how the use of press releases, press conferences and image surveys will bring positive awareness to the organization. The public relations officer must always remember that no matter how the profession of public relations is perceived, it will always be an integral part of the business.