The practice of government public relations

Citation

Walsh, B. (2013), "The practice of government public relations", Journal of Communication Management, Vol. 17 No. 3, pp. 287-288. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCOM-12-2011-0060

The Practice of Government Public Relations is an up to date guide for public relations students and practitioners in public administration – the latter being more public servants than “political appointees” (xii). Conceived as a practical counterpart to Government Public Relations, A Reader (Taylor and Francis, 2008) its stated aim is to provide:

“[…] a very practical, hands‐on approach for the planning, implementation, and evaluation of various aspects of government public relations” (Neeley and Stewart, 2012, p. 2).

The practical focus is emphasised by the provision of an accompanying CD‐ROM with some useful case studies, PowerPoint slides, and other resources. The editors and contributors have an impressive mix of academic and professional credentials. The book divides into two sections: “Reaching the citizenry: the tools of public relations”, in which web sites, social media (or Web 2.0), public information campaigns, media relations and crisis PR are discussed; and “Managing government public relations”, which contains chapters on strategic communication planning, ethics, legal issues, internal communication and monitoring and evaluation. With 13 chapters and 249 pages, it is a useful and informative package of advice for those working in the field.

As part of the book series on Public Administration & Public Policy by the American Society for Public Administration, the content is unashamedly US centric, although it does purport to be useful for public administrators in other countries outside the USA (xii). Certainly some of the broader information, advice and case studies throughout could be interesting and possibly useful for readers outside the USA. “Ethics in government public relations” by Bowen, for example, analyses broad scenarios according to ethical models, elements of which could be found in any country; Taylor's chapter “Using monitoring and evaluation” discusses universal evaluative principles and Sadow's “Media relations” includes general principles that could be usefully considered globally. However the content, in the main, is specific to its primary American audience.

This book provides a wealth of information for practitioners and is ambitious in its scope, skimming across the broad landscape of public relations in the government context. Each chapter is dense with definitions, information, case studies or examples, and practical tips. Sadow's chapter on “Media relations”, for example, covers broad principles of media relations including strategies, tactics and crisis management, through to how to write a media release, media advisory and public service announcement. (Some discussion on the 24/7 news cycle, the influence of social media and other non‐traditional media sources would have made this chapter more comprehensive.) Kopfman and Ruth‐McSwain's chapter on “Public information campaigns” ranges from the development of campaigns through to their implementation and evaluation, together with a brief discussion on various persuasive appeals; Martinelli's “Strategic communication planning” chapter also covers the key elements of this process including setting goals, objectives, developing messages and tactics and evaluation.

The editors’ intend all the book's authors to make the case that “there is much good that can come to a government agency from using public relations to do its job” (Lee, 2012, p. 12). This is addressed through the practical focus and wealth of information, tips and advice provided. This is more than just a practitioner's guide, however. The editors also state a lofty intent for the book: to “help change the perception that government public relations is a tool made up of propaganda used to manipulate public opinion, and to develop a better understanding of how proper public communications can lead to more efficient, effective, and accountable public organizations” (Neeley and Stewart, 2012, p. 7). The discussion around government public relations enhancing or hindering democracy – and the role of the public sector communicator in engagement and involvement of citizens in the democratic process – is an ongoing one that is not entered into in this text. The editors work from the premise that government public relations, if managed well, is an essential contributor to good government. They work to their goal by providing detailed and helpful content that aims to contribute to a more informed profession, and through the worthwhile discussion of the unique context and particular responsibilities that rest with public sector communicators. The latter is explored in content such as Lee's chapter “government public relations: what is it good for?”, Kosar's “Doing right and avoiding wrong with the law and politicians”, and Bowen's “Ethics in public relations”.

The structure of the book is generally logical and straightforward, although the reason for separating Government web sites and Web 2.0 into two chapters was not clear to the reviewer. The book's format and easy conversational tone make it very accessible, and the best practice examples and case studies should prove useful to government public relations practitioners. The Practice of Government Public Relations is best read as a narrative to make the most of the content, but it can also be kept on hand as a useful reference.

This book makes a useful contribution to the field of knowledge in this area. In particular the blend of academic and professional experience among the authors and editors is refreshing.