7. PAO-PROPER ARMY VI ESGR RECRUITING
HISTORIAN
COMMUNITY EMERG
OUTREACH MGMNT FAMILIES
MPAD
UNIT PAOs
UPAHRs
AF VI/PA
RETIREES
The World of Public Affairs
8. DEC 11: Reached over 3,294,000 citizens (TV, Print, Radio, Web—Online News, Blogs, Military Social Media)
SHARE OF VOICE VALUE FOR AUG: $1,383,480 The World of Public Affairs
9. SHARE OF VOICE VALUE FOR AUG: $1,383,480 The World of Public Affairs
29. Kentucky National Guard
Public Affairs Office
502.607.1556
kirk.hilbrecht@us.army.mil
www.kentuckyguard.com
The World of Public Affairs
Editor's Notes
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Three main functions:Public Information/Media relations – educates the publicCommunity Relations – face-to-face interaction such as open housesInternal Information – Bluegrass Guard, KentuckyGuard.com, KY Guard Network, kentuckyguard.wordpress.comFacilitates the VOICE of the Kentucky GuardPublic Affairs helps tell YOUR story … How we do it:Internal publications: magazine, blog and other Social MediaCommunity Relations: partnering with local communities and businesses signing covenantsPublic Information/Media Relations: press releases about KY Guard movements and events that impact our communities; press conferences in disasters and incidents; media advisories about award, farewell and homecoming ceremonies; building relationships with local media …
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Each day you wear your uniform, you become a representative for the Kentucky National GuardYOU are the subject matter expert for your unit, your MOS and your missionWhy talk to the media?We are an open society– Maximum disclosure, minimum delay Taxpayers provide us equipment, jobs and fundsAllows us to evaluate public opinion of usAllows us to make recommendations to our commanders which leads to better public understanding of our missionBy allowing a free-flow of information, we provide the public answers to their basic questions:1- Where is my money going?2- Why does it cost so much (what is my return on investment)?3- Why does the KYNG do things the way they do (lessons learned from Katrina, the Ice Storm and other natural disasters)?4- How can I talk to those who make the decisions?
Typically, KG-PAO will invite the following to events that we publicize:All regional affiliates (NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX)All local print media (to include AP reporter assigned nearest the area)Social Media:KG-PAO maintains a blog, Web site and Twitter/Facebook feeds. Information is published on these sites daily. Separate briefing on Social Media practices will follow
When do I talk to the media?Now!Why?Proactive, not reactiveBuilds trust between you and the reporter or organizationGets our story out there Their needs/our needs They WANT storiesWe NEED our stories toldBuilding a good relationship with the News Media serves the following purposes:1 – Build’s trust that we aren’t hiding things from the media2 – Build’s professional friendship where we can call them for late-minute story ideas and they will come3 – Allows us to “control” the media in a sense that they know we will contact them when we have a story rather than them always calling us “snooping” for stories
Stay in your lane:Talk about your unit’s missionTalk about the training your Soldiers have completedStay as positive as possible, and eliminate your feelingsAvoid acronyms and military speakBe professional, informative and credibleKnow your unit and your mission statement. Remember that you are talking to a member of the general public who likely doesn’t know much about the Army, Air Force or the National Guard. Keep the military jargon out of your conversation.Why is it important to stay in your lane? If you don’t, you end up speaking about territory you are unfamiliar with. You can relay misinformation or get trapped and come across as you don’t know what you are talking about. Avoid “no comment”:If you feel uncomfortable with a question from a reporter, you can tell them you aren’t the best person to comment on the question, and refer them to a “subject matter expert” such as your commander or KG-PAOIf you don’t know the answer to a question, simply say: “I don’t have that information at this time, but I’d be happy to gather what you need and get back to you.”No comment indicates that you have something to hide – or that you have strong feelings about something that you don’t want to share … this gets the reporter’s mind churning. Not a good thing. Avoid “no comment” by referring them to a SME or by offering to get the information you don’t have. It’s OKAY to say you don’t have the information … that is better than making it up!Nothing is “off the record”:There is no such thing as “off the record” … everything you say can and will be used by reporters, especially if you tell them it’s “off the recordRemember your command messages!Say the truthStay professional Requesting that your comment remain “off the record” is a NO-GO. This sends red flags up to the reporter that you are hiding more or that you may be disgruntled. These are the basic questions that Reporters need to form their story. In an incident be ready to answer:Who did it happen to? (remember privacy act and HIPPA)What happened?When did it happen?Where did it happen?Why did it happen (is it something we did – most importantly how we will make sure it doesn’t happen again)How are we preventing it from happening again.Other stuff:What does your unit do?How and where do you train?Are you ready for this deployment?What are you going to do?Most of the time Soldiers want to stay out of the spotlight, and we understand that. But telling your story gains public support and pride in the Kentucky Guard. In addition, when our name is in the news, our legislators see the direct involvement we have with our communities AND understand better what we do. When we need them for funding, they are likely to remember when your unit helped out in the last natural disaster because of the coverage your unit received from the Media.
All reporters should adhere to the SPJ code of ethics … they shouldn’t be trying to trick you in to anything.You are doing the reporter a favor by talking with him. Make sure they understand your ground rules.Remain confident during your interview.Remember you can stop the interview, or ask the cameraman (if it’s not live) to allow you to gather your thoughts.If you are recommending a Soldier to talk with the media, don’t pick Pvt. Billy Bob who can barely speak English, who has a big dip in his mouth and is clearly not meeting AR 600-9 weight standards. Make sure you put someone in front of the camera who embodies what it means to be a KYNG Soldier.As the UPAR, make sure your commander’s uniform is squared away – name tape and Army on the right side, hat or beret on properly, no strings coming off uniform, buttons buttoned etc.
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Three main functions:Public Information/Media relations – educates the publicCommunity Relations – face-to-face interaction such as open housesInternal Information – Bluegrass Guard, KentuckyGuard.com, KY Guard Network, kentuckyguard.wordpress.comFacilitates the VOICE of the Kentucky GuardPublic Affairs helps tell YOUR story … How we do it:Internal publications: magazine, blog and other Social MediaCommunity Relations: partnering with local communities and businesses signing covenantsPublic Information/Media Relations: press releases about KY Guard movements and events that impact our communities; press conferences in disasters and incidents; media advisories about award, farewell and homecoming ceremonies; building relationships with local media …
Three main functions:Public Information/Media relations – educates the publicCommunity Relations – face-to-face interaction such as open housesInternal Information – Bluegrass Guard, KentuckyGuard.com, KY Guard Network, kentuckyguard.wordpress.comFacilitates the VOICE of the Kentucky GuardPublic Affairs helps tell YOUR story … How we do it:Internal publications: magazine, blog and other Social MediaCommunity Relations: partnering with local communities and businesses signing covenantsPublic Information/Media Relations: press releases about KY Guard movements and events that impact our communities; press conferences in disasters and incidents; media advisories about award, farewell and homecoming ceremonies; building relationships with local media …
