Public information officer, public affairs specialist, and press officer are titles used for public relations staff in government agencies. Public information officers keep the public informed about the activities of agencies and officials. They use a variety of communication outlets to keep the public informed about office activities (such as arrests, prosecutions, convictions, new policies, and special programs like Project Safe Neighborhoods) and events (such as town hall meetings and gang prevention summits).
Enlisting a public information officer or public affairs specialist can greatly enhance your communication activities. These officers can—
- Support the development of a strategic and integrated communications strategy for your Weed and Seed community.
- Prepare you for interviews or serve as Weed and Seed spokespersons.
- Position you as the Weed and Seed resource for local media.
- Develop and implement a crisis communication plan.
- Develop a media monitoring system.
- Draft basic media tools, such as press releases and advisories, backgrounders, and fact sheets. Check out Tools of the Trade for samples.
There are some activities, however, in which these specialists cannot participate. Personnel from U.S. Attorneys' Offices cannot approach media outlets to discuss placing public service announcements or seek in-kind donations. It is best to assign these tasks to a media partner, other partnering organization, advertising firm, or media buyer.
Check out Tools of the Trade for sample press releases, backgrounders, and fact sheets.