CAP & The Press -- Negative versus Positive News

[Rotorhead]

2.  If you ARE important enough to rate a reporter, do not look at this as a good thing.  It means someone in your organization is in really big trouble.

Glib, but not necessarily true.

Your are right... not "Necessarily" true.  But "Usually" true!

Having been the guy who assigns a reporter (or not), I'd say, "Sometimes true."

[JohnKachenmeister]

Having been the point of contact for civilian reporters for 9 years in the Army and 2 years in CAP, I'll stay with "Usually."

[Smithsonia]

Here are the bios of the Chief's of Public Affairs for the Army and his deputy and the Navy.
http://www.army.mil/info/institution/publicaffairs/chief/
http://www.army.mil/info/institution/publicaffairs/deputy/
http://www.navy.mil/navydata/bios/navybio.asp?bioid=348

You will see that they have had 10-15 years Public Affairs experience. They also had admirable careers as War Fighters. These are similar to the careers of the Marine, Coast Guard, and Air Force PA Chiefs. The trouble with 10-15 years public affairs experience is:
1. In the world of civilian PA/Journalism you are only a journeyman and not master of the arts and crafts of the business after 10-15 years.

2. You've served only from one side of the fence. You've always been in the Army/Navy etc. There is a Civilian World that is not hostile but ill-equipped to appreciate the particular place from which you and your fellow officers come.
You need to be able to explain yourself to your boss. You may think that the General or Admiral that you report to is your boss. The American Public is actually your boss. Fail them and they can demand that you fall on your sword right now.

3. Different cultures often breed contempt.

4. With 10-15 years of experience you can do fine with day to day duties. However face an Abu Ghraib and you may wish you had a bit more experience. Of course you can hire experienced PA help from the civilian side but then return to item 3.

If the Army and Navy don't get it, and in fact they actually don't... although they are trying harder... then it is no wonder that CAP has trouble.

Right now the American Military is the strongest on the planet. BUT, they pale in comparison to the power of public opinion which can render them impotent, over night. Otherwise we'd be carpet bombing Wasiristan hoping to catch Bin Laden sleeping. PAO is serious business. Public Opinion and Public Affairs is very darn serious. I'd rather have it in the palm of my hand than the whole arsenal of unusable nukes.

Public Affairs is the world's most chaotic, pervasive, and sustained battlefield. It ain't for the faint.

[Rotorhead]

Having been the point of contact for civilian reporters for 9 years in the Army and 2 years in CAP, I'll stay with "Usually."

If you were "usually" seeing reporters only when something bad happened, then I'd suggest you were working primarily reactively, not proactively.

Good PAO/PIOs can get coverage (including a reporter) on a wider range of stories than just the "bad" ones.

[openmind]

Open mind;
Not that you don't have a point... but you don't have the fine point. Public information is by any means possible. Twitter, You Tube, Social Networks. VLOGS, BLOGS, etc. etc. etc.

Each can be used to ratchet the story to whatever place you think best. Once again, an editorially honed mind is the important thing. Inside information and intimate knowledge of not just the subject matter but the attending media is important. The object is to get it Public. NOT just publicly distributed but in the public consciousness.

How you do this is part of the art of the practice of Public Affairs.

I very much believe you are correct, and I also agree that there is an art to the practice of Public Affairs, as with many crafts.

I was more wanting to point out that, with all the effort everyone seemed to be wanting to expend to 'package' a story for a local TV or Newspaper reporter, no one seemed to be taking the next step:  Put that story out yourself through other channels.

Someone else responded to my post and asked where I get my news.  The answer is simple, ONLINE.  I occasionally will watch CNN, and as a pilot I am always watching the Weather Channel, but that's about it for news on television.  Everything else is online, in one place or forum, or another.  I have been known to check the AP and NY Times feeds on my iPhone, but that is secondary.

I apologize if I wasn't clear before, and made it seem like I thought the Local Press was a waste of time.  Hardly.  I simply recognize that it will NOT reach all of the target audience in the local area, and we shouldn't be wasting all of the blood, sweat, and tears that PAOs go through to package stories by simply handing them to Local Reporters and calling it a day.

And, slightly off-topic, this 'news divide' will only get worse over time.  I'm sorry to tell you guys who work in local news, but I'm not getting any more likely to watch your stuff as time goes by, and neither are any of my friends.  We already see the massive (if not quite wholesale) collapse of Newspapers in this country.  In 10 or 20 years, Online news will dominate, though I bet the access becomes much more ubiquitous and not a 'go sit at a computer' sort of affair that it is now.

Again, I have no qualm with the idea of the PAO professionals 'packaging the story' as best they can, and prepping the whole thing, text, pics, video, etc. for use by the local media.  I just wanted to make sure we also use that packaged info to present the story in other venues.  Squadron website, Blog, heck even on CAPTalk it would get Google search hits.  And, not to sound like a broken record, but you'd think that at some point NHQ would at least provide some guidance on a large scale.  Sometimes I think they've never heard of branding, consistent messages, etc.  Oh wait, then we couldn't have the new 'Logo of the Week.'

openmind

[Rotorhead]

Open mind;
Not that you don't have a point... but you don't have the fine point. Public information is by any means possible. Twitter, You Tube, Social Networks. VLOGS, BLOGS, etc. etc. etc.

Each can be used to ratchet the story to whatever place you think best. Once again, an editorially honed mind is the important thing. Inside information and intimate knowledge of not just the subject matter but the attending media is important. The object is to get it Public. NOT just publicly distributed but in the public consciousness.

How you do this is part of the art of the practice of Public Affairs.

I very much believe you are correct, and I also agree that there is an art to the practice of Public Affairs, as with many crafts.

I was more wanting to point out that, with all the effort everyone seemed to be wanting to expend to 'package' a story for a local TV or Newspaper reporter, no one seemed to be taking the next step:  Put that story out yourself through other channels.

Someone else responded to my post and asked where I get my news.  The answer is simple, ONLINE. 

The reason I asked is because the overwhelming  majority of online news content is provided by print and TV sources which have an online component as well.

Thus, it pays to deal with these people even if you don't specifically read the newspaper or watch TV news.

[RiverAux]

The basic principle is going to be the same.  Some online blog isn't going to be any more interested in a Cadets promotion to A1C than the local paper.  And if all the newspapers go online, it may get a little easier to get stories "published" since space won't be an issue, but still you're going to have to work for it. 

[SarDragon]

The basic principle is going to be the same.  Some online blog isn't going to be any more interested in a Cadets promotion to A1C than the local paper.  And if all the newspapers go online, it may get a little easier to get stories "published" since space won't be an issue, but still you're going to have to work for it.

"Space" may not matter, in terms of sheer quantity, but the front page still does, and it's only as big as the screen on the viewer's computer, much like the difference between "above/below the fold" in a regular newspaper. If someone has to scroll the page to read news, it will very often not get read.

[Smithsonia]

OPEN MIND;
Plugging a story into every blog, all the little corners of various public information platforms, the various vlogs, twitter, etc... Is distribution. That just makes someone an internet paperboy. Each distribution model requires an accommodating editorial revision... but it is all distribution.

Story distribution has very little to do with story generation. One is packaging the other is coverage (or story shaping). SO if you want to be in distribution then your a Webmaster, TV Transmitter Engineer, etc.

We would consider that an ancillary service inside the Public Affairs Discipline. So you may not be plugged into TV or newspapers... and that's fine. BUT, you are plugged into the hive mind. You have heard that Billy Mayes, Ed MacMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson all died this week. Assuming that you didn't know each of these people individually so that you would have been personally called by each of the 4 grieving families. How do you know about these folks deaths? How you heard about it is really unimportant to this discussion. The fact that you know, is the point.

We're a herd animal. AND, may be we are a heard animal too. If you get my drift.

[JohnKachenmeister]

Ed:

As usual you are correct.

In the Army, Navy, and Marines, PA officers are brought from the officer ranks.  I was a first lieutenant when I was selected for my first PA assignment, and was already a qualified Military Police officer with time as a platoon leader and a battalion staff officer.  If you don't KNOW the story, you can't TELL the story.

The AF, however, considers PA a "Primary" officer specialty rather than a "Secondary" specialty as the other branches do.  This makes it very hard for 2LT's right out of ROTC/AF Acad/OTS to adapt, since they not only have to learn their PA job, but also have to immerse themselves in their base or unit's mission very quickly so they can tell the story and intelligently answer questions.

Some officers return to field assignments after their PA experience, others remain in the PA field and never return to their original specialty assignments.  I spent 5 years in two PA assignments, then took an operational command.  After my command tour, I returned to my former PA assignment until I retired.

And... you are correct that the American People are the boss, and they need to be informed.  The challenge of PA operations in the military is to get the information accurately past the filter of professional journalists.  Sometimes, you are successful, sometimes you are not.  Big surprise:  Some journalists are smarter and better than others... who knew?

In the military, before one works a PA assignment, one is sent to a DoD school to learn the basics of the craft.  It is a demanding and academically challenging school.  CAP has no such school to send its PA officers to.  "Welcome to CAP.  You are now our PAO.  Here's the regs.  Read them, and good luck."

Then we wonder why mistakes get made.

But... that's not the worst of it.  Our National PA plan is:  "Let the local PAO's get the word out."  In the Army, I got weekly updates on DA activities, so that I could help the Army "Speak with one voice."  I made frequent trips to the Pentagon for briefings.  My statements on sending the 961st Messkit Repair Battalion to Panama would mesh perfectly with the DA annoucements of a major exercise in Panama involving the Total Force of active/guard/and reserve components.

Then, as an experienced officer, I could provide background on the role of Messkit Repair Battalions, major combat exercises generally, and any other information to fill in the knowledge gaps of the reporter.  I always had tons of background material in the press kit.  How many CAP PA guys are trained in how to make up a press kit?

The fix to this: 

1.  Make NHQ PA do its job.  Its job begins, but does not end with the production of Command-Information materials such as Volunteer.  They should be providing guidance to local PA's, preparing QUALITY PSA's for use by local PA's, and coordinating paid media advertising.

2.  Provide some real, resident training at the wing level for PA officers.  The local PA should understand completely the roles of the PAO in Command Information, Public Information, and Community Relations.  He or she should be trained to work all three mission areas, and to develop plans to support the efforts in all three areas.

3.  Encourage (we cannot force) PAO's to get involved in all mission areas of CAP.  The PAO should be ES qualified, work with cadets, and understand the AE program.  Again... you can't TELL the story unless you KNOW the story.

[ColonelJack]

I was more wanting to point out that, with all the effort everyone seemed to be wanting to expend to 'package' a story for a local TV or Newspaper reporter, no one seemed to be taking the next step:  Put that story out yourself through other channels.

Someone else responded to my post and asked where I get my news.  The answer is simple, ONLINE.  I occasionally will watch CNN, and as a pilot I am always watching the Weather Channel, but that's about it for news on television.  Everything else is online, in one place or forum, or another.  I have been known to check the AP and NY Times feeds on my iPhone, but that is secondary.

I apologize if I wasn't clear before, and made it seem like I thought the Local Press was a waste of time.  Hardly.  I simply recognize that it will NOT reach all of the target audience in the local area, and we shouldn't be wasting all of the blood, sweat, and tears that PAOs go through to package stories by simply handing them to Local Reporters and calling it a day.

It sounds like you're a very well-informed individual, OpenMind.  And that's great, of course! 

Your basic idea is correct -- PAOs need to get the word out in many and varied ways.  A PAO's job is never done when the story is handed off to the news.  That is really just the beginning!

And, slightly off-topic, this 'news divide' will only get worse over time.  I'm sorry to tell you guys who work in local news, but I'm not getting any more likely to watch your stuff as time goes by, and neither are any of my friends.  We already see the massive (if not quite wholesale) collapse of Newspapers in this country.  In 10 or 20 years, Online news will dominate, though I bet the access becomes much more ubiquitous and not a 'go sit at a computer' sort of affair that it is now.

No offense taken.  I firmly believe in "to each his own" and if you and your friends prefer your news from online sources, then more power to you!  I, too, am watching the demise of the newspaper -- and the growth of broadcast news.  While print media may be in decline, broadcast -- via television, cable, and Internet -- is on the upswing.  Maybe the local end isn't that great, but it's all part of the game.

Again, I have no qualm with the idea of the PAO professionals 'packaging the story' as best they can, and prepping the whole thing, text, pics, video, etc. for use by the local media.  I just wanted to make sure we also use that packaged info to present the story in other venues.  Squadron website, Blog, heck even on CAPTalk it would get Google search hits.  And, not to sound like a broken record, but you'd think that at some point NHQ would at least provide some guidance on a large scale.  Sometimes I think they've never heard of branding, consistent messages, etc.  Oh wait, then we couldn't have the new 'Logo of the Week.'

:clap:  I like that one

Jack

[Rotorhead]

The fix to this: 

1.  Make NHQ PA do its job.  Its job begins, but does not end with the production of Command-Information materials such as Volunteer.  They should be providing guidance to local PA's, preparing QUALITY PSA's for use by local PA's, and coordinating paid media advertising.

2.  Provide some real, resident training at the wing level for PA officers.  The local PA should understand completely the roles of the PAO in Command Information, Public Information, and Community Relations.  He or she should be trained to work all three mission areas, and to develop plans to support the efforts in all three areas.

3.  Encourage (we cannot force) PAO's to get involved in all mission areas of CAP.  The PAO should be ES qualified, work with cadets, and understand the AE program.  Again... you can't TELL the story unless you KNOW the story.

All very good points.

#2 and #3 are, for lack of a better phrase, within our control. We ought to put more emphasis on them.

[RiverAux]

Oddly enough the CG Aux has a much more well developed public affairs training program that is available, but for the most part their PAs are so restricted by the CG on actually sending out news releases that it is difficult to do anything but basic boating safety stuff that hardly ever changes.  Contrast that with CAP where it is very probable that a IO with only minimal training could be the primary face associated with a regional or national-level story. 

However, even with the general poor training available to CAP you don't see a whole lot of our PAOs make major mistakes.  The most common ones being problems with their uniform that no one but CAP members are likely to notice.   If there are mistakes made it seems to be associated with comments made by non-PAO CAP members making comments that they probably shouldn't.     

[Smithsonia]

You can spray and pray your news stories and PIO releases. OR you can get to the Holy of Holy Daily News Budget meeting. Instead of silly quals like how to change a typewriter ribbon and where to find a stenographer, CAP and the Military need to take apart the rudimentary steps of News production in it various forms and build a complete training syllabus on the end product. In other words, What is the mission, how can it be accomplished, and how can it be taught.

Right now it is built on an academic model. Most of the academic background is foolishly out of date and anachronistic. It should be built on a Craft model and taught through a Guild like system (or mentoring). The military trains front line war fighters SEALS, DASH4s, Combat Controllers, and Tactical Response Teams (Delta Force) in the same way. Real world after action lessons learned and modifications made on the fly to achieve the mission objective. I've talked to several Military PAO Academic Types at the major Command Schools. They are nice people and completely out of date as to their practices. CAP is much the same.

Think what you want on the subject and do as you please. BUT, Rotorhead (whom I work with all the time, but I am not speaking for) and myself see it as an art that is a continuum of best and timely practices - which is basically a mystery to the military and it shows in the work that is produced. Journalism Schools have the same problem. By the time you write the text book - it is out of date. Journalism and Public Affairs are actually active verbs. Quit pretending these are stable nouns. (so to speak)

When I started speaking about this 2 years ago or so on this board... most of the responses I got were about 39-1 issues and not about craft, storytelling, editorial refinement, etc. So at least this discussion in this thread has progressed. Nobody has spoken much about the uniform. This is progress, but it is glacial progress at best.

[arajca]

Most of here don't know enough about the PAO job and how to do it right to fill a thimble. And most of us will admit it. But we do know when it is done wrong. That is part of the frustration.

Something I have seen is on exercises, a PIO will be identified followed by a statement to the effect of "no media contact will be initated by CAP during this exercise. Direct all media inquiries to the PIO." WTF?! It get especially annoying when congress critters will be coming to the exercise and the PIO is PROHIBITED from publicizing the visit by CAP! (seen this several times)

It may help if PIOs have some exposure to how media operates at an incident before the real deal comes around. An interesting idea would be to contact a college with a journalism program and see if a couple of students would be help by acting as media reporters at an exercise. I think it would provide valuable experience for both parties and may help establish a good relationship in the future.

[Rotorhead]

It may help if PIOs have some exposure to how media operates at an incident before the real deal comes around. An interesting idea would be to contact a college with a journalism program and see if a couple of students would be help by acting as media reporters at an exercise. I think it would provide valuable experience for both parties and may help establish a good relationship in the future.

Or if the Wing held training seminars where actual reporters come out and help teach the PAOs what to do and what not to do (and say).

That's what we're doing in Colorado. I think it is helping.

Seems like this is a no-brainer: Wing PAO and staff ought to be training unit PAOs.

[arajca]

It may help if PIOs have some exposure to how media operates at an incident before the real deal comes around. An interesting idea would be to contact a college with a journalism program and see if a couple of students would be help by acting as media reporters at an exercise. I think it would provide valuable experience for both parties and may help establish a good relationship in the future.

Or if the Wing held training seminars where actual reporters come out and help teach the PAOs what to do and what not to do (and say).

That's what we're doing in Colorado. I think it is helping.

Seems like this is a no-brainer: Wing PAO and staff ought to be training unit PAOs.

I haven't been to a COWG PAO course (not my field and no time), but I did attend the CO OEM Incident PAO course many years ago. Attending a class, even taught by experienced PAO's and media folks, is vastly different than working in an incident base.

I think most states offer a similar course - it's a FEMA hand-off course. In CO, volunteers can take it (and several other EM courses) for free. The state will even pay for lodging if you travel more than 50 miles for the class - meals are still on you. The course is three days, usually during the week.

[Smithsonia]

Arajca, Rotorhead, and I are all in the CO/WG. So is Wuzafuzz. I have the greatest respect for the work of each. Rotorhead has it right. BUT let me add that the business of PAO is important enough to require daily attention.

I write every day. Most days I write many things per hour. It is what I get paid for and how I make my living. At least I edit something every hour. To have a limber and constant contact with words... to know the subject intimately (as suggested by Kach) to work on media relations, to know what the media wants/needs, to work for a news operation, to never miss an opportunity to speak publicly, to practice the craft even when you are not working as a PAO ... are important training items that should become a daily constitutional habit. My habits have been honed consistently for decades.

Practice writing broader than just journalism. Journalism, mostly, requires basic writing skills. Add to your kit. Write short fiction. It'll teach you a sense of place, story forming, sensory elements, character study, development, and revelation, you'll find the beginning-middle-and denounment of your work.   Write jokes. That will teach you the sense of human touch, surprise, and the ability to serve broader needs. Humor works in everyplace but tragedy. Humor is however built on empathy. Write poetry. It will work your word choice and brevity. Write well founded and effective opinion in places like CapTalk. Write, write, write - everyday. I can teach the skills but unless a PAO is ready to practice then my time is ultimately a waste. Practice! Practice! Practice!

Rotorhead has put together a great Wing PAO training program. That said, dedication to your own product is equally valuable. To develop that product into a thing of refinement and distinction is the true PAO test. This dedication will reveal more than who, where, what, why, when... but what is important, what is of value, why I should stop and read your work.

Hence, this is a craft we talking about. Become a dedicated artist and practitioner of this craft. We have numerous members of the Colorado Wing; at least 5 of them are members of Captalk - and I am proud to serve with each of them. They practice.

In this work you're a master marksman. Instead of putting a bullet through a brain, your job is to put words through a heart.

[Rotorhead]

It may help if PIOs have some exposure to how media operates at an incident before the real deal comes around. An interesting idea would be to contact a college with a journalism program and see if a couple of students would be help by acting as media reporters at an exercise. I think it would provide valuable experience for both parties and may help establish a good relationship in the future.

Or if the Wing held training seminars where actual reporters come out and help teach the PAOs what to do and what not to do (and say).

That's what we're doing in Colorado. I think it is helping.

Seems like this is a no-brainer: Wing PAO and staff ought to be training unit PAOs.

I haven't been to a COWG PAO course (not my field and no time), but I did attend the CO OEM Incident PAO course many years ago. Attending a class, even taught by experienced PAO's and media folks, is vastly different than working in an incident base.

Well, of course, nothing beats OJT / experience.

[RiverAux]

Since this appears to be a general thread about public affairs...I just happened to come upon the CG Aux national-level strategic plan for 2009-2010 that may be of interest.  Quite a bit more detailed than the last thing I remember seeing from CAP NHQ, however it doesn't have much in the way of specific targets.  FYI, the Aux national PA staff is all volunteer unlike CAP's which is paid. 

http://www.auxadept.org/resources/ADept/A_Dept_Strategy_2009_P&P_10-09.pdf