The Role Of Public Information Officers In Local American Government

Public information officers (PIOs) see themselves as the liaison between the agency they represent and the public. They come from various backgrounds including broadcast and print journalism, for profits and the advertising world while others seek out local government jobs straight out of college since they loved public relations and wanted to serve their local community. This thesis seeks to understand how PIOs experience and manage competing roles in their local government agency, as well as how they came into these PIO roles. This turned out to be a unique year for the PIOs as they learned how to navigate through an unprecedented pandemic to riots to an election on top of their everyday roles. Through qualitative research that included 13 in-depth interviews from current local government PIOs and applying role conflict theory, this thesis presents the PIOs understanding on how they view their roles in their job, what it means to them and how they manage all that they do.

This guidance was developed in coordination with Federal, State, tribal, and local Public Information Officers (PIOs). The goal of this publication is to provide operational practices for performing PIO duties within the Incident Command System (ICS). It offers basic procedures to operate an effective Joint Information System (JIS). During an incident or planned event, coordinated and timely communication is critical to effectively help the community. Effective and accurate communication can save lives and property, and helps ensure credibility and public trust. This Basic Guidance for Public Information Officers provides fundamental guidance for any person or group delegated PIO responsibilities when informing the public is necessary. The guidance also addresses actions for preparedness, incident response, Joint Information Centers (JICs), incident recovery, and Federal public information support. The guidance material is adaptable to individual jurisdictions and specific incident conditions.

Offering practical, proven ideas and techniques that are applicable in today's rapidly changing media environment, this is a reference guide for Public Information Officers. It covers the development of effective media relations and positive community strategies, the responsibilities of a PIO, and the legal aspects of the job.

Sheds new light on the use of external public policy consultants from an interdisciplinary and international comparative approach.

Meant to aid State & local emergency managers in their efforts to develop & maintain a viable all-hazard emergency operations plan. This guide clarifies the preparedness, response, & short-term recovery planning elements that warrant inclusion in emergency operations plans. It offers the best judgment & recommendations on how to deal with the entire planning process -- from forming a planning team to writing the plan. Specific topics of discussion include: preliminary considerations, the planning process, emergency operations plan format, basic plan content, functional annex content, hazard-unique planning, & linking Federal & State operations.

"The Nation has lost sight of its public health goals and has allowed the system of public health to fall into 'disarray'," from The Future of Public Health. This startling book contains proposals for ensuring that public health service programs are efficient and effective enough to deal not only with the topics of today, but also with those of tomorrow. In addition, the authors make recommendations for core functions in public health assessment, policy development, and service assurances, and identify the level of government--federal, state, and local--at which these functions would best be handled.

Policymakers and program managers are continually seeking ways to improve accountability in achieving an entity's mission. A key factor in improving accountability in achieving an entity's mission is to implement an effective internal control system. An effective internal control system helps an entity adapt to shifting environments, evolving demands, changing risks, and new priorities. As programs change and entities strive to improve operational processes and implement new technology, management continually evaluates its internal control system so that it is effective and updated when necessary. Section 3512 (c) and (d) of Title 31 of the United States Code (commonly known as the Federal Managers? Financial Integrity Act (FMFIA)) requires the Comptroller General to issue standards for internal control in the federal government.

In response to 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, there were a number of shortfalls that surfaced in interagency coordination and jurisdictional boundaries such as poor information sharing, confused relationships, unclear understanding of roles and responsibilities and leadership challenges. The Emergency Support Function (ESF) 15 Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) incorporates the following five components: Public Affairs, Joint Information Center (JIC), Congressional Affairs, Public Information Plans and Products, Intergovernmental Affairs, and the private sector aspects of external affairs. The purpose of the ESF 15 Communication Synchronization program evaluation phenomenological study is to understand the lived experiences of federal (to include military), state, and local interagency public affairs officers the FEMA VII U.S. Midwestern Region area of responsibility and to explore the effect of the ESF 15 communication synchronization during Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) operations. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION * Problem Background * Problem Statement * Purpose of the Study * Research Questions * Significance of the Research * Significance to Leadership * Limitations * Delimitations * Theoretical Framework * Operational Definitions * Summary * CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW * Communication Synchronization * National Response Framework * National Incident Management System * Public Information * Emergency Support Function 15: External Affairs * U.S. Army National Guard Dual Status Commander * DOD Critical Planning Factors to Support Domestic Law Enforcement Agencies * Crisis-Communication Strategy * Emergency Response and Business Continuity: The Next Generation in Planning * Information Intermediaries for Emergency Preparedness and Response: A Case Study from Public Health * Effective Emergency Management: A Closer Look at the Incident Command System * Hurricane Sandy Communication Synchronization Analysis * Theoretical Framework * Rational Choice Theory * Institutional Theory * Interagency Coordination Concepts * Whole-of-Government Approach * Inter-Organizational Collaboration Approach * Summary * CHAPTER 3 METHODOLGY * Research Questions * Research Design * Population, Sample, and Sampling Procedure * Population * Sample * Sampling Procedure * USARNORTH PAO * Fort Hood Public Affairs Detachment * FEMA Region VII PAO * Missouri National Guard PAO * State of Nebraska PAO * Douglas County PAO * City of Lawrence PAO * Location * Consent * Instrumentation * Procedures and Measures * Data Analysis * Methodological Assumptions, Limitation, and Delimitations * Methodological Assumptions * Limitations * Delimitations * Summary * CHAPTER 4 PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA * Purpose of the Study * Research Questions * Review of the Data Collection Procedures * Program-Related Documents * Open-ended Interviews with ESF 15 Communication Synchronization Stakeholders * ATLAS Software * Findings * ESF 15 Communication Synchronization Stakeholder Impressions * ESF 15 Communication Synchronization Stakeholder Personal Experiences * Supporting Question Results * ESF 15 Communication Synchronization Understanding . * ESF 15 Communication Synchronization Experience. * Summary * CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS * Purpose of the Study * Summary of Findings. * ESF 15 Communication Synchronization Stakeholder Impressions. * ESF 15 Communication Synchronization Stakeholder Personal Experiences * Supporting Question Results * ESF 15 Communication Synchronization Understanding * ESF 15 Communication Synchronization Experience * Discussion * Ethical Concerns * Implications * Conclusions * Recommendations for ESF 15 SOP Stakeholder Leadership and Policy Makers * Recommendation for Future Study * Limitations * Summary * GLOSSARY * APPENDIX A STRUCTURED QUESTIONNAIRE * APPENDIX B INFORMED CONSENT