Re-thinking the "One CAP" policy

[RiverAux]

The thing we've got to think about, and we're generally talking about mission-related public affairs, is that in most missions it is very likely that anytime CAP is mentioned it will probably be right next to mentions of other agencies participating in the search. 

Think about how you've seen the National Guard or State Police mentioned in these sorts of articles....you almost never see a mention of which NG unit or State Police troop is participating in the search. 

So, we're much better off if we focus on getting the "Civil Air Patrol" mentioned, rather than trying to get the media to say "The Corpus Christi Squadron of the Texas Wing of the Civil Air Patrol".  They're just not going to print that whole string most of the time.  So, eliminate the squadron and wing mentions and most likely you will get "Civil Air Patrol" in the newspaper, but if you focus on the others you most likely will end up with "The State Police, Nationa Guard, and the Corpus Christi Wing participated in the search today...."

[Hoser]

It makes no never mind to me how we are refered to by the media. If someone's interest is piqued by a report on TV,  and they want to learn more to join or for whatever reason, they can simply Google "Nevada Civil Air Patrol" or whatever else they heard and it will still lead them to where they need to be lead to, Civil Air Patrol. I fail to see why all the fuss.

Hoser

[Major Carrales]

So, we're much better off if we focus on getting the "Civil Air Patrol" mentioned, rather than trying to get the media to say "The Corpus Christi Squadron of the Texas Wing of the Civil Air Patrol".  They're just not going to print that whole string most of the time.  So, eliminate the squadron and wing mentions and most likely you will get "Civil Air Patrol" in the newspaper, but if you focus on the others you most likely will end up with "The State Police, Nationa Guard, and the Corpus Christi Wing participated in the search today...."

Here is a subject for a new thread. The difference between PAO(Public Affairs Officer and MIO (Mission Information Officer).

The Public Affairs Officer is a reporter of UNIT activities to the CAP Officers and Cadets (internal program) and the Local Media (external program).  Thus, semi-regular reports to local (sometimes rural newspapers) on what's going on in the unit.  I would refer to the unit as "The Corpus Christi Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol" in a lead line that would look something like this...

"Five Civil Air Patrol Officers and Cadets of the Corpus Christi Composite Squadron deployed to Brownsville, Texas on Saturday 15 September 2007 for an Area Wide Search and Rescue Exercise"   (notice the WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN and WHY)

A Mission Information Officer is an instrument of the ICS system focused on the Mission.  Since we so not deploy as "units" per se to REDCAPs and the ICS system makes it own Unity of Command via effective Span of Control, I might phrase the Press Release like this...

"Seventy Five Civil Air Patrol Officers and Cadets are currently deployed in search efforts near Premont, Texas in support of the continuing efforts to locate Mr. I. M. Lostagan who dissapeared from a local nursing home.  The Civil Air Patrol has deployed three aircraft and six ground vehicles in support of the effort."

The MIO should speak about CAP as CAP...maybe elaborate on where the people are from at the "bottom of the inverted pyramid."

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