Much maligned in the past as wasteful and self-serving, government public relations provides several distinct services that can be used to advance the substantive mission of an agency in ways that save money, time, and effort. In the same manner as budgeting, HR, strategic planning, and performance assessment, public relations must be included in the contemporary public administrator’s toolbox. Using unorthodox yet cost effective measures, public relations can increase the utilization of governmental goods and services, promote voluntary compliance with new laws, improve media relations, and strengthen the standing of the agency with the public at large. In short, public relations is public administration.
Addressing the theory, practice, and context of government public relations, Government Public Relations: A Reader compiles contemporary writings from international sources to provide an understanding of the importance, value, and uses of public relations as tools to advance the goals of government. Each section begins with an introductory overview and short preview of the section topic. The end of each section provides additional reading and a list of discussion questions that can help identify key points.
Beginning with an introduction to the general subject, the book focuses on the discrete purposes of public relations to make their benefit and application more tangible. Topics include media relations, public reporting, responsiveness, and outreach, as well as the integral role of PR in crisis management. The book stresses the “publicness” of government public relations as distinct from business PR and examines the increasing use of non-profit agencies to deliver government funded services. The last section summarizes the overall themes along with trends likely to influence the future of the field such as globalization and e-reporting. An extensive appendix consists of an annotated bibliography of the historical literature.
Public Relations in Public Administration, M. Lee
Public Relations Management in Government and Business, J.E. Grunig
What Do Federal Public Information Officers Do? US Office of Personnel Management
The Campaign of the Committee on Public Information: Its Contributions to the History and Evolution of Public Relations, B. Pinkleton
PURPOSES OF GOVERNMENT PUBLIC RELATIONS: MEDIA RELATIONS
The Media vs. the Bureaucracy, M. Lee
The Effective Agency Spokesperson, M. Lee
Media and the Bureaucracy in the United States, B. Kalantari
Hacks, Flacks, and Spin Doctors Meet the Media: An Examination of the Congressional Press Secretary as a (Potential) Public Relations Professional, E.J. Downes
PURPOSES OF GOVERNMENT PUBLIC RELATIONS: PUBLIC REPORTING
An Overview of Public Reporting, M. Lee
Popular Reporting, J.A. Clay
A History of Municipal Public Reporting: Examples of Robust Reporting in the 20th Century, M. Lee
PURPOSES OF GOVERNMENT PUBLIC RELATIONS: RESPONSIVENESS TO THE PUBLIC
Encouraging Community Dialogue: Approach, Promise, and Tensions, A. Helling and J.C. Thomas
Engaging with Citizens and Other Stakeholders, S. Martin
The Management of CitizenParticipation in Taiwan: A Case Study of Taipei City Government's CitizenComplaints System, D. Chen, T. Huang, and N. Hsaio
Towards an Accountable and Quality Public Administration in Hong Kong: Redressing Administrative Grievances through the Ombudsman, C. Wing-Hung Lo and R.J. Wickins
PURPOSES OF GOVERNMENT PUBLIC RELATIONS: OUTREACH
Marketing in Public Sector Organizations, T. Bovaird
CRISIS MANAGEMENT AS GOVERNMENT PUBLIC RELATIONS
Public Relations as Crisis Management, M. Lee
Public Information for Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, R. Radvanovsky
THE EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT OF GOVERNMENT PUBLIC RELATIONS
Public Information or Propaganda? Congressional Restrictions on Federal Public Relations, K.R. Kosar
Freedom of Information: A Duty of Public Agencies, S.J. Piotrowski
Freedom of Information Act: Processing Trends Show Importance of Improvement Plans, US Government Accountability Office
The Environmental Context of Communications: Public Sector Organizations, J.P. Viteritti
When Productivity and Communication Clash: Ethical Issues for Government Managers, J.L. Garnett and J.A. Sigler
THE EXTENDED PUBLIC SECTOR: PUBLIC RELATIONS BY NONPROFIT AGENCIES
Public Relations for Nonprofit Organizations, M. Lee
FUTURE: TRENDS IN GOVERNMENT PUBLIC RELATIONS
Effects of Globalization on Media Coverage of Public Administration, M. Lee
E-Reporting: Using Performance Results to Strengthen Democratic Accountability, M. Lee
APPENDIX: ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF HISTORICAL SOURCES
Agency Relations with the Press, D.W. Martin INDEX
Biography
Lee Mordicia
