Our squadron PAO retired from CAP. I haven't accepted the position but I have been recommended for it. I looked at the PAO tool kit but it only comes up as a directory and I can't access it (although I tried with Firefox rather than explorer). I was recomended because of my photography interest and some things I've written in the past.
My concerns:
I loathe the press. Some of the ones I've dealt with in EMS and union steward activity could botch up passing gas. I just don't trust them.
I've never done anything along this line before.
I need some resources.
Any PAO's have some pointers to look at before I get drafted ah volunteer?
After seeing some of the things they reported on in New Orleans that did not jibe with my first-hand experiences, I don't trust them either but they can be rather useful when you need to get accurate information out in a timely manner...or just want to advertise. They just have a bad habit of getting "stuck on stupid" as Gen Honore said.
One thing that helped me was taking the G-290 Basic PIO course through our state EOC. More info at http://www.floridadisaster.org/trainingcalendar/courseinfo.asp#G-290 - not sure how your state handles this, but FEMA lists it as a course to be administered at the state level. We had real reporters come in and talk to us, were interviewed and critiqued on video, and had to write a press release as a homework assignment. Rather interesting class.
Quote from: flyerthom on October 17, 2007, 04:52:43 AM
I need some resources.
Try the Florida Wing Public Affairs Website......Guide to Public Affairs Vol 1 and 2 are located on the left side of the page halfway down the page and are available for download as a pdf file. There's other stuff available for PAO's on that page also.
http://flwg.us/html/pa.html
Quote from: flyerthom on October 17, 2007, 04:52:43 AM
I loathe the press. Some of the ones I've dealt with in EMS and union steward activity could botch up passing gas. I just don't trust them.
Agreed for the most part. What's the old proverb, "Some people are mere passages for food." After listening to some of the questions these guys asked during Desert Storm -- like specific details of where we're going to hit next, opsec stuff, all that -- I felt like hitting 'em all up side of the head with a "clue by four."
"If you require a clue and cannot afford one...."
You get my drift. Fortunately, even though the real stupid ones seem to make their way to the top of the ladder and are therefore most often in the public eye, there are still a lot of decent reporters out there. I know one personally who works at KFWB NewsRadio here in the Los Angeles area. She's got a brain. (Jennifer Bauman, covers the Orange County beat.)
Anyway, the only thing is, if you really detest the media as you say, that is going to come across in your dealings with them. The things that will turn a reporter into a snarling hound faster than you can believe is is if (s)he:
- feels you've got an attitude against the press (!)
- senses you consider that reporters are wasting your time
- thinks you're hiding something
That last one really gets the curiosity going, and in the absence of real information they sometimes start
making stuff up editorializing.
Quote from: flyerthom on October 17, 2007, 04:52:43 AM
Any PAO's have some pointers to look at before I get drafted ah volunteer?
Just this: it's a
volunteer organization. You can
politely tell the CO that you appreciate his/her confidence in your abilities but it just wouldn't be a good fit, yada yada. They can't force you into a job you don't want to do.
BUT, if it's something you DO want to do,
do it to the best of your ability, and put the "loathe the press" stuff in your locker until well after the reporters have gone home for the day and you're at the Club for "attitude adjustment." ::)
I have been told by several reporters in my dealings as a Deputy who have told me that all they really want is something...anything that they can get out before anyone else. If they know they can come to you and you will at least give them a bite they will usually be patient. And when you tell them you dont know and you will get back to them, get back to them with SOMETHING even if its something that to you may seem irrelevant. Im sure we've all heard reporters conitnually talk about a detail or loop a 5 second video that shows or says absolutely nothing of importance.
Take a quick second and type out some details and give them a copy to include in their story. For example if you are dealing with numbers like flight time, sorties, hours flown etc. What they really love is to be involved. On a mission, make a way for a reporter to be flown on a short sortie, even if your not really looking for the target. Even a couple trips around the pattern can give them some good photo ops they need for the 30 second spot on the evening news or page C-12 of the local paper. If you dont have any photos, give them a copy of that CAP DVD that talks about our capabilities and they can take out their own clips. Have fun with it! Then change your name placard to "Minister of Propaganda"!
Thank you all for the good stuff. Looks like I am going to take it. I think those photos on Cap News were a contributing factor! We'd like to see more stuff in Cap News and maybe the Volunteer.
Thanks for the good advice in dealing with the press. They are trying to do a job.
Tom:
You are right about reporters being stupid. They're even stupider about the military. I had one (print reporter, I forget from where) who was shocked when I gave my NCO orders in Honduras, since he thought sergeants were higher-ranking than captains. Another one (from WCCO in Minneapolis) I caught doing a stand-up in front of a row of 2 1/2 ton trucks, calling them "Ominous-looking machine-gun trucks." Except if she had bothered to look, or ask, she would have discovered that she was standing in front of three fire trucks.
But, hey... she was hot-looking.
Let me give you the quick-and-dirty PA course.
You have three missions in PA: Command Information, Public Information, and Community Relations. Just like the forces of flight, they are inter-related. When you do something in one, it affects the others.
Command Information is stuff you put out to your own troops... newsletters, bulletin boards, e-mails, etc. YOU should run all the bulletin boards in your unit, to make sure they are attractive and have current information. That includes getting current safety stuff from the Safety Officer and running with it so the safety BB looks as good as the rest. DO NOT ever put out information that is different from what you put out publicly.
Public Information is stuff you put out to non-CAP audiences. News releases, responses to query, etc. Buy yourseld the "Associated Press Stylebook" and memorize it. Make sure ALL of your news releases are written in AP style. This will make editors your friends.
Easy thing: Develop a boiler-plate release for awards, promotions, cadet achievements, etc. Keep it on your computer. Then develop a form with all the personal information you need to write the release, and give it to everybody getting an award or promotion (For cadets, just the significant milestones, not movement from "Snuffy" to "Snuffy First Class.") This will make your releases easy and quick.
Photos: Avoid the "Grip and grin." Take a digital photo of the troop DOING something, especially doing his job. Even if you shoot a photo of a guy working at a desk it is way better than the G&G. Have a cadet officer drilling troops, or inspecting another cadet in formation. Show a pilot at the controls or doing a preflight. Use your imagination. A G&G shows zero imagination. A photo and caption along with your boilerplate release virtually guarantees use in the paper.
Community Releations: This is stuff that makes people feel good about CAP being in the community. Parades, open houses, community support events, stuff like that. You want to be the go-to guy for that kind of stuff.
Drop me a PM if you have any questions. I did PA work in the Army for a while, and in CAP. I may not be the worlds foremost authority, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.
www.ncrpao.org has some stuff that can help a new PAO and we are adding resources all of the time. ;D
Don't knock the press to much. There are many PAO's in CAP and on Captalk, who are real life newscasters and press reporters.
Those that I know do a wonderful job both in uniform and at work.
... Considering the storms last night my hat is off to Lt. Lee Davis.
(Chief Meteorologist for a local TV station and CAP PAO)
Someone who loathes the press should not be involved in public affairs. You need to be wary of them, but realize that these are folks trying to do their jobs. They will make mistakes, just like you would if you had to try to talk or write intelligently about as many different issues as they do in a short period of time.