PAO versus MIO...how one looks at CAP.

[Major Carrales]

This is a breakaway from another post.  It is also merely a start since i have to leave for home and this manifested itself in my mind and I have to write it down before the "CAP muses" take it away.

PAO versus MIO...how to address CAP in the media.  Local or ONE CAP?  Individuals or the GREATER WHOLE.

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 do 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 a search 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."  The focus is on CAP, maybe to be simple.

Comments...

[jeders]

I think you hit this one on the head.

When getting information out about a single unit (squadron/wing/region), we should reference that unit. But in referencing that unit, it is important to make things as clear as possible that we are one big program, not just a local or state program.

Similarly when talking about a mission, such as the Fosset search, it's important to talk about CAP as a whole, not individual parts. I personally hate it when the media gets things mixed up or portrays CAP as being a small program at the local or state level. But let's face it, we do it to ourselves.

Now if only we can get these distinctions taught to the people getting their faces on TV and in the paper, maybe then we will have a little less confusion.

[RiverAux]

I wouldn't disagree with that approach at all...had thought about putting in language to that effect in the other thread.

[Dustoff]

I think the ICS descriptor is "PIO" - Public Information Officer.   

Jim

[Major Carrales]

I think the ICS descriptor is "PIO" - Public Information Officer.   

Jim

In the CAP lexicon, actually, its just "IO."  Check your SQTR!

[Eclipse]

A big part, in fact in some cases the focus, of an MIO should not be marketing CAP, but garnering and filtering >inbound< information regarding the situation from family, witnesses and other agencies.

[Major Carrales]

A big part, in fact in some cases the focus, of an MIO should not be marketing CAP, but garnering and filtering >inbound< information regarding the situation from family, witnesses and other agencies.

Exactally well put, That is the main difference in the positions.  Training should reflect that.  Sometimes a good PAO may not a good IO make...and the reverse.

[Skyray]

There is another issue.  The Major General who shall not be named issued an edict that certain media were not to be communicated with under any circumstances.  I am sure that is because he felt they were biased and would fabricate reports no matter what CAP said officially.  That policy, however, has a major downside.  Two recent stories have appeared in one of these media that should have been cleared and explained by CAP.  One of them I was personally involved and have personal knowledge of the facts.  On the other one I have information from a high ranking CAP officer whom I know to be a man of integrity.  Both cases involve arrest and/or conviction for felonies.  The circumstances that did not appear in the news media is that both these records were disclosed to CAP and vetted by the paid staff without participation by the volunteer staff.  You can agree or disagree with the concept of restoration of civil rights and subsequent full participation in society, but the issue remains that neither one of these members sneaked around or were the recipient of special favors from volunteer staff.  They were vetted and accepted for membership after the incidents that besmirched their reputations.

[RiverAux]

If there is any such policy, it has been kept pretty quiet within the public affairs community. 

[KingLemur]

If there is any such policy, it has been kept pretty quiet within the public affairs community. 

I guess that depends in which part of the community you travel in.

See attached

[RiverAux]

Well, there is nothing official about that.  Even CAP's official "media policy" doesn't use "legitimate".

[KingLemur]

I don't know that anyone said it was an official policy.

It is, or perhaps now was, a policy though and I assure you that at least a few PAOs were told that they were not to supply any information to NOTF.

In fact, one individual received a nasty gram because someone else forwarded an article to NOTF.

[RiverAux]

No one has ever told me anything one way or another about NOTF, but I know I personally wouldn't even consider sending them anything.  So, I suppose it is my "policy".

[Skyray]

I did not intend to start a controversy over whether it was or was not policy to communicate with NOTF.  Whatever your opinion of them is, it is a widely read email news source that comes out twice a day, and has features and articles far beyond CAP which gets it read in the Pentagon and Congress.  Not to respond to inquiries on news items with at least spin is extremely self defeating.  The two articles I was speaking of leave the impression that CAP regularly appoints convicted felons to high office.  As I was trying to point out, there are mitigating circumstances in both these cases, not the least of which is that the felons in question have had their civil rights restored.  A good spin doctor could have turned these articles into the CAP as champion of the rehabilitated and downtrodden, but because of a stupid policy of we don't talk to them because they say nasty things about us, that opportunity was missed.