Government and Politics

Chapter

17 Top 5 Facts

By Elliott Thomas

Comm

355

Objectives of government information efforts

Explain agency programs so that

citizens understand and can take actions to benefit from

them

Provide feedback to government

administrators so that programs

and policies can be tweaked Advise

management on how to

communicate to the largest number of

citizens

Represent the public and listen

to its representatives

Educate administrators about the role

of the mass media and

ways to work with media

reps

Communicate the work of government

agencies

How Public Relations Activities Differ at the Federal, State, and Local Levels

Presidents have taken advantage of the intense interest in their position by creating

strategies to improve their popularity, generate support for programs, and explain

embarrassing policy decisions.

Federal agencies employ public affairs officers, who have the job of answering press and public

inquiries, write news releases, work on newsletters, plan special events,

etc.

States develop campaigns to encourage tourism, educate the public about disease prevention,

and promote economic development.

Local governments have the responsibility of

informing citizens about government services, so

people can take advantage of them.

Cities promote tourism by publicizing their

cultural attractions and special events.

Tourism is heavily promoted on the state level because of the tax revenues

it produces.

How Government effects corporations

Actions of governmental bodies

Business operations

Affects

Intelligence gathering

Corporation/Industry

plans ahead

Adjust policies/provide information that

may influence government

decision making

What is lobbying?

Attempting to influence decisions made by government officials

Who do lobbyists represent?

U.S. business, educational, religious, local, national, and

international pursuits

Just so you know….

Lobbying Pros and ConsPros

Competing lobbying efforts cause legislators to weigh the

pros and cons of an issue before voting

Competing lobbyists show busy legislators the pros and cons of complex legislation

Cons

“Influence Peddling”- using your influence in government or connections with people in authority to gain favors or preferential treatment for another,

typically in return for payment

“It’s not about what you know,

but who you know”

Grassroots lobbying involves getting on

the local level individuals with no financial interest in

an issue to speak on the sponsor’s behalf

There is a lack of rules or

regulations governing grassroots lobbying

Lobbying Loopholes

The Role public relations play in election campaigns

Fund-raising is a year-round job for

every aspiring official

Candidates hire professionals to organize luncheons and dinners that

allow donors to have contact with the candidate.

These occasions open the door for indirect influence on

legislation or meetings at a later date, if the candidate is elected.

Teams of political strategists, speech-writers, communications consultants,

and other professions are put together to help candidates win

elections.

Don’t be careless

when using social media

Surrendering some control over the message and discussion online is necessary when

relying on the Internet and

Social Media to help a campaign

5 key concepts from

Chapter 17

Public relations professionals are required

at every level of government to ensure that information is circulated clearly,

efficiently, and to the largest number of people

Public

relations

campaigns

differ at each

level of

government.

Governmental actions

influence how

corporations conduct

business, and

sometimes

corporations can

influence government

policy.

There are benefits and

pitfalls to lobbying.

An extensive team

of public relations

professionals is

necessary for a

successful

campaign for any

hopeful candidate.