Government public relations

Government public relations

Governments were among the first organizations to need, and to practice, public relations as a way of maintaining appropriate relationships with their citizens. They still do, but in the United States, they rarely call it public relations.

By definition, democratic governments should reflect public opinion and work best when the citizens are well-informed. Thus, public relations should have a natural and welcome role in U.S. government. And, for a number of years it did. There were lots of examples of what we now call public relations undertaken by federal and local governments following the Civil War. Publicity, promotional, and informational campaigns were launched by various federal departments, and cities and states. California, for instance, conducted extensive and expensive campaigns to attract new residents.

These government efforts paralleled what many businesses were doing at the time, and the government employees who performed these tasks had the same titles as their business counterparts. They were known by such terms as publicity agent, promoter, press agent, press secretary, and public relations specialist.

Then government public relations changed its name.

By 1913 there were enough concerns being expressed about the appropriateness and the directions being taken by government public relations practitioners that Congress sought to put limits on government spending for public relations. This came about in part because some big business interests resented the public relations successes of the U.S. Forest Service that had led to the closing of some federal land to loggers, in part because of partisan political rivalries, and in part because of vague fears that a government propaganda machine could begin manipulating public opinion.

As a result, the Gillett Amendment was added to the Interstate Commerce Commission statute. It turned out to be one of those acts of Congress that ended up having much more power and influence than its actual language would suggest. It's often described as a ban on government public relations, but that's not what it started out to be. It doesn't prohibit government public relations; it simply said, "Appropriated funds may not be used to pay a publicity expert unless specifically appropriated for that purpose."

Then came World War I and the extensive use of propaganda by all warring nations. Ironically, when the war was over and the success of those propaganda efforts led people like Edward Bernays and countless businesses to increase their public relations efforts, there was a backlash against government propaganda and a rising fear of government manipulation. Any public relations activity by government became suspect, and the federal government, which had already seemingly taken a first step with the Gillett Amendment, backed even further away from public relations.

More accurately, the federal government backed away from the term "public relations." It didn't stop doing public relations. It simply gave the activity new, less offensive, and more public-spirited labels. The most wide-spread euphemism was "public information," and a look at the job titles for almost any federal government agency will reveal multitudes of

public information officers,
public information specialists,
public affairs managers,
public affairs officers,
publication specialists,
communication specialists,
community facilitators,
community relations coordinators,
constituent liaisons,
client relations managers,
and dozens of other communicators.

One mid-1980s study by the federal Office of Management and Budget found over 5,000 people who are designated as federal information specialists. It also estimated that the total number of people in public information or "public affairs" positions in the federal government may be five to seven times higher.

And, as is true of so many other aspects of government in the United States, the public relations patterns set by the federal government were interpreted as virtual mandates by state and local governments. A variety of state and local laws and regulations were enacted to limit or prohibit public relations efforts by government, and many of them are "strictly enforced" today. Consequently, there are very few people or agencies at any level of government who have the words "public relations" in their titles or their job responsibilities, but there are thousands of public information officers and public information specialists throughout state and local governments.

Government communicators link government and the people.

It may sound overly dramatic, but government communicators can and do make life or death differences in people's lives. Consider, for instance,

needy people who learn they're eligible for free food or medical care by reading government produced and distributed brochures for Food Stamps, the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Supplementary Food Program, the Surplus Commodity Distribution Program, Medicare, or Medicaid;
victims saved from further abuse, or even death, because television public service announcements about child abuse, spouse abuse, and elder abuse publicized toll-free hotlines and encouraged people to use them for reporting abuse;
people saved from using defective products -- whether a bean bag inadvertently filled with toxic beans or a car whose fuel line is likely to rupture and start an engine fire -- because of news releases or press conferences by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the National Transportation Safety Board, or their counterparts at the state or local levels.

Not all government communication is so meaningful or so dramatic. There's lots of dull, boring, and routine communication too. The explanation of how to fill out new tax forms, the announcements about new hours at the drivers' license bureau, this year's hunting seasons, or the new fees for obtaining birth certificates, and the publicity about the appointment of new members to various commissions and boards are just a few examples. But, whether it's dull and boring or dramatically life-changing, the information, issues, and policies that government communicators deal with do affect their publics.

Working in government is different than working in business.

Regardless of a government employees' duties -- whether they involve communication, accounting, or janitorial services -- and regardless of the level or agency of government for which they work, there are four characteristics that make working for government very different than working for a profit-motivated business or even a private, non-profit organization. They affect public relations practitioners at least as much as, if not more than, other types of government employees.

Unique characteristics of government employment more fully discussed on the linked web page include:

the direct and powerful impact the work has on large numbers of people,
the diverse and multiple levels of accountability that extend all the way to the general public and often involve a civil service commission or similar agency,
the fish bowl environment in which government employees work, and
the fiscal constraints placed on government spending.

Considering a job or a career in government communication?

At the entry level, and at least part way into middle-level communication management positions, government salaries are at least comparable to those in the private sector, and benefits such as health care and retirement programs are often much better than the private sector's. A first-level public information specialist going to work for a state agency or a large city can expect a starting salary in the $21,000 to $24,000 range.

There are also predictable and reliable salary increases defined by the civil service or merit employment system. A public information specialist who simply does his or her job and avoids unsatisfactory ratings during annual reviews is essentially guaranteed a set raise every year.

This kind of security and automatic salary increases is very attractive to some people, but the idea of a set raise can be a disincentive to others. While the raise is essentially guaranteed, it's also rigidly limited. No matter how hard you work and how much you excel, your raise will be no more than co-workers who do only the minimum necessary to avoid an unsatisfactory rating.

At higher levels, as you move away from being a public relations technician -- e.g., a writer, editor, special events coordinator, video producer, etc. -- and become more of a public relations and communication manager, government salaries quickly fall behind those in the private sector.

A public information bureau chief's salary, for instance, tops out dramatically below a director of public relations for a mid-size or larger corporation.

A state agency director of communication with 15 years of managerial experience supervising 6-8 information specialists, editors and graphic designers may earn $48,000 to $55,000 per year while the head of a corporate public relations department with comparable experience and a similar number of employees may earn $150,000 or more.

However, at least some high level government communicators have reported that they get alternative and more meaningful compensation than salary from being personally involved in decision-making that dramatically affects people's lives. Many of them also enjoy the ego gratification that comes from rubbing elbows with big-city mayors, governors, or the President of the United States.

It's certainly not for everyone, but working as a government communicator can be a very satisfying long-term career or a short-term experience-builder for a public relations professional.

PR class home page
(26 March 2000)