Week 12/2 - 12/4

Crisis Preparation

Diagnosing Crisis Vulnerabilities
- Every org will have specific crisis vulnerabilities -- org's industry, size, location, operations, personnel, and risk factors
- Assessed using a combination of likelihood of occurrence and severity of damage dimensions
- Rate each crisis from 1 to 10
- Likelihood = odds that the crisis may happen
- Impact = amount of damage a crisis can inflict an organization
- Likelihood x Impact = vulnerability score
- The higher the score, the greater the potential

Crisis Types
- accidents, activist actions, boycotts, earthquakes, explosions, chemical leaks, rumors, deaths, fire, lawsuits, sexual harassment, product recalls, strikes, terrorism, etc
- different crises require different actions plans
- Typologies: natural disasters, malevolence, technical breakdowns, human breakdowns, challenges, mega-damage, organizational misdeeds, workplace violence, rumors
- cannot create plan for each potential crisis but can create plan for each crisis TYPE

Crisis Management Teams (CMT)
- cross-functional group of people in the organization who have been designated to handle any crises
1) responsible for creating the CMP, enacting the CMP, and dealing with any problems not covered in the CMP
2) enact the CMP during the simulated or real crises -- CMPs must be tested to see if they work
3) must deal with factors not covered in the CMP

Task Analysis
- group decision making, functioning as a team, enacting the CMP, and listening
- need these skills in addition to media relations, organization, ability to act quickly, area specific skills,  etc

Application for Training
- must do an individual-level assessment for knowledge, skills, and traits to find out strengths and weaknesses as well as progress in acquiring skills and knowledge

Spokesperson
- voice of the organization during the crisis
- primary responsibility is to manage the accuracy and consistency of the messages coming from the organization
- should have a few selected
- must be able to work with the media and media training
- answer questions effectively, be pleasant on camera, stay calm, never say "no comment", never argue with reporters, present crisis information clearly
- recognizing difficult questions is easy but answering them can be hard
- ways to answer them: 1) choose which part of the question to respond to, 2) address all parts of the question
- number each part and answer each part

Crisis Management Plan (CMP)
1. Cover page
2. Introduction - typically written by the CEO
3. Acknowledgments
4. Rehearsal dates
5. CMT
6. CMT contact sheet
7. Crisis risk assessment
8. Incident report
9. Proprietary information
10. CMT strategy worksheet
11. Secondary contact sheet
12. Stakeholder contact worksheet
13. Business resumption plan
14. Crisis control center
15. Postcrisis evaluation
- Must adapt CMP to match precise crises
- CMP is a living document that can be changed and updated regularly

Media Coverage Report 12/2

Food safety lessons after workers get food poisoning 
Pamela Escobar - CBS News
November 13, 2014
Several workers of the US Postal Service are in the hospital being treated for food poisoning after a work party potluck in Charlotte, NC. Terra Baltosiewich, a certified professional in food safety, believes this was due to poor refrigeration and lack of care/knowledge in how long food can be left out.
Since our campaign deals heavily with food, we must make sure that we follow all regulations and take extra care with the food we feed to community citizens. This article went into detail about how to properly handle food in potluck situations and how to handle different types of food. We as an organization need to be knowledgeable on food handling and be prepared to respond quickly when problems with our food occur.

Nonprofit food truck on a mission to feed hungry kids

Beau Minnick - WRAL News

June 12, 2013

The Inner-Faith Food Shuttle in Raleigh, N.C. began a new Mobile Meals program using a new food truck last summer. Their mission is to provide free meals to children who cannot get free lunch from school over summer break. They serve more than 600 children each week in different neighborhoods. 

This food truck idea is very similar to our idea with the food truck, where we would provide meals for underprivileged families and children for free, with food stamps, or at most a very small fee. Just as the children in Raleigh get excited about the Inner-Faith food truck, the 4 By 4 food truck could become the same trend to help feed underprivileged children, all while also exposing and introducing them to new foods from foreign cultures.

Food Trucks Draw Hungry Kids for Free Summer Meals

Ted Burnham - NPR: The Salt

May 30, 2012

Many eligible children are unaware that they can receive free and reduced lunches over the summer, and the USDA Summer Food Service Program has come up with a way to bring the food to children in neighborhood who cannot come out to their schools for summer camps and activities. The New Haven Public Schools served more than 700 meals the first week with sandwiches, fruits, and vegetables, and hopes to expand to make walk-in food trucks with salad bars for children. 

This article, very similar to the first one about the summer reduced meal food truck idea, allows us to understand that this method of meal delivery to underprivileged children have been going on for a few years now. These already established and expanding programs are a great way for 4Culture to learn bout the failures and successes of similar programs so 4 By 4 can continue expanding and find strategic ways to deliver appealing yet foreign food items to children in similar underprivileged neighborhoods. 

Another great thing about these programs is how they don't discriminate against privileged children either - so any children under the age of 16 can come and grab a free meal. This is a good way to create community that's diverse and understanding of each other's backgrounds and not discriminating on what one children can eat vs what another cannot due to their family's income. 

Changing the school food environment - one healthy meal at a time

California School-Based Health Alliance - 2014

The Urban Promise Academy in California created an entire "crew" of nutritionists to lead children in education for healthier eating and also implemented relaxed breakfast time at school. They work closely with the cafeteria manager along with parents and children to get input on what everyone wants to see for the meals. They also partner with the Alameda County Food Bank to deliver food to their district's families to create healthier meals both in school and at home. 

This program is yet another great example for programs we are trying to implement with 4 By 4. We want children and parents to be in on the healthy, diverse eating trend together and we want to start that conversation from the classroom out so transcends back into the family's lifestyles as well. The partnership this school district has created with the food bank is what we would like to do as well, so we can provide families with information and resources to help find success in our program. 

Week of 11/26-11/28

Lee Ch 6: Crisis PR for Government Communicators
- Three phases of crisis: 1) pre-crisis, 2) response, 3) recovery
- Five common characteristics of all crises help gov't communication accomplish goal to manage:

1. crises involve the destruction of property, injury, loss of life, and/or reputation damage
2. crises adversely affect a large number of people
3. crises have identifiable beginnings and endings
4. crises are relatively sudden
5. crises receive extensive media coverage and public attention

- An issue becomes a crisis when "an event that creates an issue, keeps it alive, or gives it strength"
- Key way to determine if it is a crisis is determined by how the citizens, media, and gov't partners react --> must engage in constant issue monitoring and crisis preparation
- ideal goal is to prevent crises from occurring while recognizing that crises will occur (objectives listed below)

• identify and mitigate any risks and/or issues that could become crises
• increase citizens' resilience by helping them prepare for crises
• establish a clear chain of command by assigning responsibilities for crises planning, response, and recovery before crises occur
• identify information dissemination strategies and processes before crises occur 
• build relationships with key partners before crises occur
• develop clear benchmarks for evaluating crisis responses to ensure organizational learning

Preparing for Crisis
- Environmental scanning and issues management
- Relationship management
- Crisis management team
- Crisis communication plan
- Crisis management plan

• Risk assessment/inventory
• List of crisis management team members and contact
• List of key stakeholders and their contact info - employee, other gov't agencies, resident groups
• designated emergency operations center/crisis command center (and back-up locations)
• comm plan including spokespeople authorized to speak with media, redrafted templates, dark sites (predrafted sites to communicate crises either internally or externally that can go live if and when the crisis occurs)
• authority/authorization structure outlining streamlined decision-making
• business resumption plan
• training dates and location
• orientation/seminar
• tabletop exercise
• drill/rehearsal
• simulation
• trigger dates to review and refresh plan and components

- Crisis response strategies (pg 116):

• Deny: attack the accuser, denial, scapegoating, ignoring
• Diminish: excusing, justification, separation
• Used for accidental crises when there is no crisis history and no unfavorable prior reputation
• Also for victim crises when there is a crisis history and/or unfavorable prior reputation 
• Rebuild: compensation, apology, corrective action, transcendence
• Reinforce: reminding, ingratiation, victimize (themselves), endorsement

- Follow-up information and action / evaluation and renewal can be keys to successfully dealing with a crisis

Fitch Ch 12: Crisis Communication in Public Affairs

- Prepare for a crisis by: establishing an internal crisis communication system; considering who should talk to the media; and creating a crisis communication plan
- Know the signs of a crisis and adapt your organization to the changing environment. Use all means available including outside advisors to get the boss on the same page about the crisis
- Two categories of crisis:

• Extraneous: know your role, speak to your role, protect the public
• Intrinsic
• Systemic Crisis: Dealing with operations of the organization - an accident, layoff of employees, or problem or defect in the product or service
• How to handle: by communicating freely, focusing on the victims; being available at all times; coordinating all messages behind the same message; and using all means available to disseminate information
• Adversarial Crisis: Contents, initiated by an opponent, usually attacking a view, position, or policy held by the organization
• How to handle: by putting your best argument forward and not padding it; and by defining your motive and that of your opponents
• Image Crisis: A questioning of the ethics of an organization's leader or leaders, such as allegations of illegal activity, unethical conduct, or questionable judgement
• How to handle: by fully disclosing all information, possibly in a marathon news conference; advancing facts to friendly reporters; and engaging in an end-run around adversaries by releasing negative information before they do
• When in an image crisis, admit all errors quickly and forthrightly; use third-party defenders when in the right
• Maximize the use of online communication and social media in any communication crisis; create special sections for the public and reporters

- The eight mistakes to avoid in a crisis:

1. Ignoring the problem and not changing priorities
2. Not changing the decision making apparatus and team
3. Letting lawyers direct the public relations policy
4. Allowing systemic crises to become image crises
5. Withholding information
6. Not correcting errors immediately
7. Using the wrong spokesperson
8. Not being honest

 - Motive is transparent: if a public figure or org is not motivated by public interest, this will be discovered. If a public figure or organization does not clearly define their motive, they will have just established a negative one that will be promoted and distributed by the media or opponents in the vacuum they have created

Media Coverage Report 11/18

Can Cooking With Kids Help Them Eat Healthier?
Kristie Collado - The Daily Meal
November 17, 2014
This article discusses a study conducted at University of Alberta which showed statistics that children who helped cook with their parents in the kitchen were 10% more likely to eat healthier even on their own. It's important to familiarize children with food and let them ask questions or go through the motions of preparing a meal so they are aware of the variety of food out there.
This article is relevant to our project because one of our goals is to introduce a few new meal ideas and recipes into a household's weekly menu. This comes from a cooperation of the children and parents and a huge part of it is to first introduce and familiarize children with food items that may not necessarily be on their radar. This will allow children to pick food more wisely and to eat with more conscious minds.

Week of 11/18 - 11/20

Lee Ch 10: Doing Right and Avoiding Wrong with the Law and Politicians
- the efficacy of a gov't PR practitioner is greatly dependent upon his audience's and colleagues' trust
- how a proposed action would appear when placed within the five macrocontexts in which he, as a government PR practitioner, operates:
1. his occupation
2. his agency
3. his country's laws
4. his country's constitution
5. his nation's sense of sacred
**"How does action X look in the context of (above)"**

The Five Institutional Macrocontexts

1. Occupation
- civil servants: hired by agencies based upon their knowledge, skills, abilities, and experience; expected to serve the public good --> deliver messages that are more substantive and less political and promotional
- political appointees: chosen by a president or agency head and the political appointee serves as an advocate for an an executor of the president's agenda --> freer to sell a president and his programs

2. Agency
- What does my agency do, why, and for whom? Does it provide services to other government agencies or the general public?
- consider what sort of communicative activities flow from the nature of his agency

3. Legal
- Gov't agencies are born from laws, and laws both create and curb the agency's authority for action
- not only is it the right thing to do, but it can give the practitioner a real sense of what is permissible and what is not, and keep him from putting his agency in legal jeopardy
- Cannot directly or indirectly pay for personal things or endorsements for a policy, etc
- What is considered illegal:
*involve large-scale publicity campaigns to generate citizen contacts with Congress on behalf of agency's position on pending legislation
* involve "self-aggrandizement" of the agency, its personnel, or activities
*"purely partisan in nature" that is, is "designed to aid political party or candidate"
*"covert propaganda" that is, the communication does not reveal that government spent money to craft or spread the message

4. Constitutional 
- A constitution holds explicit and implicit ideas about the relationship between the governors and the governed, and the general goals of the nation-state
- political power flows from people, and elected officials and their bureaucratic servants are obliged to use this power in accordance with the public's sense of right
- the public will not tolerate either elected officials or gov't employees deceiving it
- must acknowledge and think how their efforts fit or collide with the ideas of his country's constitutional ideas --> both curbs and opportunities
- messages that are constant with a nation's constitutional ideas likely will have greater resonance with the public

5. Sacred 
- "myth": a sociological process by which a people construct a narrative that defines their society and its ordering institutions
- enable citizens to assume a national identity by bridging the gap between the particular (me) and the abstract whole (America) to recognize certain rights, duties, and perspectives as a member of that nation
- the power of a narrative that taps into the nation's story

Conclude
- a practitioner should think institutionally
- Make sure what you do is NOT:
1. an abuse of your position
2. inconsistent with your agency's duties
3. illegal
4. offensive to your country's constitution
5. an outrage upon the sacred

Week of 11/11 - 11/13

Information, Communication & Society

The Internet and new modes of political participation: online versus offline participation
- Traditional political participation repertoires are replaced by new forms such as 'lifestyle' politics, political consumerism, Internet activism, etc
- Some argue that internet activism is exaggerated, superficial, unimportant, and potentially dangerous
- Steps to determine online engagement:
1. measure and distinguish different types of political participation
2. understand how online and offline participation compare with and relate to each other -- do they draw in new people? or the same people? same sources as offline?
3. address the concern of declining participation in electoral politics and traditional offline activism

Online Political Participation
- Some argue that online participation might or should simply model political acts in the offline world
- There have been past marches and rallies created in the virtual world that have been successful
- Can connect with political figures online and also raise funds for figures online as well
- Some that do not exist offline: use of humor in political postings; the visible support for social/political organizations, candidates, and specific social/political goals; wide-reaching mobilization campaigns; or politically motivated hacking 
- politically active people (online) tend to be more active in general on sites such as Facebook
- Concern is that people aren't really changing the world with a click of a button
- internet drastically lowers information cost through hyperlinks and the ability of audience members to customize to their likes - give equality of opportunity for political participation

Data
- Taken from an English-speaking university in Canada
- Response rate at low of 8% 
- 61% women and 38% men 
- 15 min survey asked about their offline and online political activism
- Facebook is very popular >50% 
- Collecting signtures or signing e-petitions and donating money were the most popular (48% and 35%)
- Still, offline protesting is more popular - people find online marches etc to be less satisfying and "real" and doesn't attract as much attention as they would offline

Results
- Facebook participants are not very different from non-participants, but are more likely to use the Internet for news consumption about current affairs and politics 
- FB users are prone to spend in general less time online compared to non-active students 
- These students tend to be more interested in politics but don't have higher knowledge necessarily than non-participants 
- in short, there are no large significant differences but could become less valuable online

 
 

Media Coverage Report 11/6

Transforming food culture in schools
Education Business online
This article informs the audience about the Food for Life program implemented in many schools in the UK. Through this program, children got to visit farms learn how to cook, and grow their own food. Studies after the program implementation showed an improvement of children's health as well as a leap forward in closing the gap both in health and academic for disadvantaged children and their peers.
I enjoyed learning about a similar program to our campaign that launched in the UK, especially because this article showed the positive outcomes for children after the implementation. Aside from our goal being to inform and teach children about different cultures through food, it is also to bridge the gap between the experiences of disadvantaged low-income kids and their peers, and this case has given 4By4 a good insight on possible positive outcomes of our own program to reach that goal.

4Culture "Poetry on Buses" launch party
Tamar Benzikry-Stern - King County 4Culture
October 1, 2014
4Culture is hosting a launch party for their new year-long celebration of local voices in the King County through the art of poetry. There will be poetry readings on the theme of "home" from all over the world, as well as local musical performances.
This event is relevant to our campaign because it is an event hosted by our client's organization, and displays the importance of diverse cultures through an art form: poetry. We believe that our campaign celebrate the same values of cultural diversity in our county through another art form of food. I am actually going to this event on Monday evening, and am interested in seeing how the poets represent their cultures, and be inspired for how 4By4's events can be run as well.

Modernist Cuisine Co-Author Hosts Art for Food
Chelsea Lin - SeattleMet
January 9, 2014
This articles highlights the entrepreneurial chef behind the concept of Imagine Food, which I have highlighted before. The article discusses how chef Maxime Bilet wants Imagine Food (orig. called Art for Food) to create "an interactive experience that explores food as a method of communication by studying its relationship to technology, sustainability, art, history, social politics, etc. 10 percent of the profits also go to NW Food Education Fund.
I've thought Imagine Food is a good inspiration for 4By4 in the past, and reading the article about the creator definitely strengthened my thoughts on that. Though we focus on the cultural ties of food, that also encompasses aspects such as history, art, and politics just as Bilet has done with his program. Their dinner events are also good inspiration for us.

Week of 11/4 - 11/6

Fitch Ch 6: Online Communication 
- The World Wide Web is essential to all public relationships, communication campaigns, and community development 
- The web changes the entire dynamic between an organization and its public -- online communication is an ongoing dialogue where the public relations expert must quickly respond to an audience's interests and needs, communicating core principles and messages
- 3-D Model of Internet Communication: community, all-way communication, activists mobilize and talk to each other, social networks
- With social media, the communicator relinquishes nearly all control of the communication platform and environment, allowing her audience to create their own content and conduct a dialogue with the audience the communicator helped to recruit
- The web is not a billboard: it requires communicators to present multiple messages, with interactive components, targeting core audiences, while keeping the core values and principles of the org or effort intact
- The 6 management principles of online communication are:
1. Leadership
2. Internal Leadership
3. Internal input and cooperation
4. Catering to external audiences
5. Connecting to a strategic vision
6. Connection to the off-line world 
- PA websites must connect off-line activities with online assets through: directing people to the website with off-line media, direct mail, collect email addresses of interested people; take advantage of grassroots orgs, adjust website based on media interviews
- Communicators' goals are to promote an agenda; increase membership or followers; enhance productivity and efficiency; enhance employee morale; and raise money
- Visitors' goals: to access information; access services; feel invested in a cause and participate in a community 
- The five building blocks of a public affairs website are:
1. Audience
2. Content
3. Interactivity 
4. Usability 
5. Innovations
- Email should be used to provide valuable data or services to a receiver
- It can use viral marketing to spread a message if it includes one of the following elements: humor; connected to a recipient's values; or would reflect well on the recipient who forwards it
- To get e-newsletters read, a communicator should:
1. keep the content subject-oriented, not self-congratulatory
2. build a relationship with the receiver with an email address and unique or helpful subject line
3. keep email short, no more than three screens
4. link to web site
5. provide details not available in off-line media 
6. send emails frequently, no more than one month apart
7. strive to provide HTML versions
- Journalists are one of the most important audiences to any public affairs website. Content should be targeted for their particular needs 
 

Lee Ch 4: Government Websites 

Better Website, Better Government
- make government info more accessible for citizens 
- unprecedented access to information about government from policies and budgets to programs and activities
- helps inform, educate, and interact with stakeholders
- help disseminate important information about programs and policies, increase stakeholder support, and mitigate citizen dissatisfaction
- also can be valuable for communication tools during organizational crises, contingencies, and special events
- can even observe profile of audience members through analytical tools 
- 70% of Americans expect to be able to get information or services from a government agency website
- the objective is to improve online interaction between citizens and ultimately, all levels of government

Web Managers Council 

- The goal of the council is a threefold:
1. Help the public quickly and easily accomplish its most critical tasks online
2. Improve online content so it's on par with the best content in the world
3. Support and expand the community of government web managers nationwide
- government websites have been translated into many languages such as Spanish, Korean, Mandarin, and dozens of other languages
- the council must make certain that undeserved populations can access critical information on the Internet

 Best Practices and Oversight
- find Best PracticesChecklist at WebContent.gov
- should formally evaluate their own websites
- must comply with copyright, trademark, and patent laws and agree to post agency content in the public domain
- areas of confidentiality --> Privacy Act Statement
- must be weary of hackers both domestic and international as well as foreign government 
- Obama created the White House Cyber Security Coordinator position

World Affairs on the World Wide Web and the White House online
 - website should be intuitive and easy to navigate
- more than just archives: should state who, what, when, where, why of each programs within organizations
- White House.gov serves as a role model and portal to thousands of federal government websites that seek to interact with various stakeholders
- they receive over 100,000 emails daily: each read, screened, categorized by issue
- user friendly for disabled and diverse people: images have tags that allow the disabled to listen in to content using a screen reader. Closed captioning of videos is also available along with written transcripts of the president's speech
- website installation and administration require no programming skills
- technological changes have been helping in growth, sophistication, person-to-person interaction of government websites

Growth of Local Municipal Websites
- local municipal websites: indispensable tools for city managers and other administrators seeking to better serve and connect with local communities
- ex Virginia Beach: online resource direct citizens to where to vote, how to become a foster parent, bid for city projects, request public utility services, pay for parking tickets and property taxes, use e-check services to pay water bills, library, etc.  


Lee Ch 7: Web 2.0
Introduction
- Web 2.0 represents a collection of Internet-based tools that enhance communication through openness and interactive capabilities
- people have the added capability of producing content and being engaged in two-way comm
- empower individuals through open dialogue -- peer-to-peer connectivity and comment boxes, etc
- enhance digital democracy and diplomacy efforts
- Gov 2.0 = government use of Web 2.0
- 77% of Americans 18-65 prefer engaging with government online

Government Utilization of 2.0
- Gov't needs to recognize that a majority of citizens are online searching for content
- use of Facebook increased 143% over the past year 
- Web 2.0 give the ability to: 

• Generate innovative solutions to public policies
• Rank policies, programs, and services as determined by citizens' needs 
• Collaborate and generate innovation across levels of government and with citizens to reduce duplicative work, and to improve efficiency and effectiveness of services
• Improve e-government services to simplify online transactions
• Improve governmental transparency by providing accessibility to data and online documents 
• Recruit, hire, and retain the best and brightest for agency personnel  

- best examples of gov't implementation of Web 2.0 were developed with a strategy: identifying a core team of staff, drafting policies for internal and external utilization, identifying the right platforms that match identified outcomes, and managing information and communication
--> must know how to deal with negative comments, innacuracy of info, and misrepresentation of news online

Potential Uses of Web 2.0 Platforms
- Poll Everywhere: use to poll citizens on legislation, used by gov't to solicit citizen input through online surveys --> increases government's ability to ascertain citizen needs and opinions, as well as engage a broader range of contituents
- helps people exchange information and find solutions to problems
- Creative Commons: NGO on the web dedicated to providing security through free licensing of open information --> offers free and easy licensing for any user to post and share photos, videos, documents, and more

Barriers to Adoption
The "Old" vs "New"
1) Many gov'ts reluctant to use Web 2.0 due to how they are organized and maintained, their antiquated technology and computers, and fear of technology and the age of the typical gov't employee 
Usability and Maintenance
2) fear of possibly receiving negative comments from citizens, or the fear of posting information that may be erroneous and live on the Internet indefinitely 
- trouble deciding what to post, how much and how often
3) fear of response time, having to be available 24/7 or having to get back ASAP
- Web 2.0 sometimes misunderstood as a problem more than a medium to a solution
- choose the right platform to get engagement, develop and clear and simple plan that details who is expected to monitor citizen comments, questions, and concerns, and how these should be triaged and routed to the proper department or person

Strategies for Web 2.0 Implementations
- By increasing participation with Web 2.0 platforms, local government can run public outreach campaigns to gain feedback from citizens on a variety of fronts such as community growth planning
- Steps of a Strategy Process:
1) Develop a list of the traditional methods of communication that are already being used by the municipality
- the purpose of this step is to gain a comprehensive view of how the public receives information and interacts with its local government 
- then select several social media outlets that are most appropriate
2) Identify social networking websites to create community or municipal profiles
- it's important to designate account settings so that all posts are open to the public for comment
3) Create the RSS feeds across several of the website pages
4) Link the social media profiles together so that once an update is made on one platform, it will replicate across all platforms --> HootSuite
- HootSuite also provides an efficient way for multiple users to access the social media platforms to make social media icons that are chosen to the website homepage

Week of 10/27 - 10/31

Fitch Ch. 4 - Interacting with Reporters

- Most important aspect of day-to-day public relations work  --- must create GOOD relationships!
- Crucial in defining how successful that person is in his job
- Interaction with reporters transcends into your image and interaction with thousands or millions of the reporters' audiences too
- Reporters view themselves as representatives of the people and the most important defenders of the First Amendmen
- Rule #1: respect reporters' role and understand the power that they possess

4.2 Pitching a story
- Extent of organization depends on the complexity of the story
- Steps in pitching a story :
1)  Narrow the topic
2) Organize and compile documents that may be necessary to augment the story
3) Develop talking points on the most newsworthy aspects of the story
4) Discuss is principal can be interviewed
5) Call reporters and pitch the story
- When dealing with local reporters, identify local or regional angles to the story
- Research past stories on your topic and develop a list of reporters who are most likely to cover it -- consider a tailored pitch targeted to a few reporters
- The time of day when you pitch your story is very important: best time to pitch a story is between 10am - noon.
- Pitching a great story at 4pm does two things:
1) It diminishes the likelihood you'll get covered
2) It annoys the reporter who has to stay at the office until later than expected
- Keep your pitch story to thirty seconds or less

4.5 Handling Reporter Calls
- Helping reporters (who ask innocuous and simple questions) do their job is a straightforward and easy way to advance your principal's and organization's goal
- Reporter requests fall into two categories:
1) access - to principal or an expert in the organization
2) information
^ provide them both

- PR prof needs to ask the reporter:
1) What are you writing about?
2) What sort of information do you want from me?
3) What information or interviews have you already compiled?
4) How big a story will this be?
5) Do you want an interview with my boss or someone else in my organization?
6) Do you have any documents related to this story that you can send me?
7) What's your deadline?

- Don't say anything until you know what you're dealing with
- "I'll get back to you" is an acceptable answer -- don't have to give out detailed answers on the first call
- "I don't know" is acceptable as well -- they need answers by the time of their deadline, not the first time. Tell them you will follow up with them.
- Make sure to return all phone calls even if you have nothing to say -- it demonstrates respect to the reporter and the responsiveness of your organization
- How press secretaries handle negative stories defines both the principal's reputation and the public relations professional's reputation
- Handling a single negative story well can significantly reduce the likelihood that it will turn into a full-blown crisis
- Remember that a particular line in a speech could be quoted out of context
- The first important challenge is to identify that you're dealing with a potentially negative story
- A clever reporter will try to lull you into a false sense of security and pounce when you don't have your guard up
- Listening between the lines is important
- Most reporters will be upfront and tell you about the purpose of their call

Ask yourself these additional questions: 
1) Is the reporter telling me everything?
2) Is there someone behind this and what's her motivation?
3) What tone should I take that best portrays your position?
4) What is our liability (did we make a mistake)?

- Always remember to stay calm and don't say anything that could be quoted -- develop strategies on how to respond in cases where you may not want the story veered in a certain direction or the reporter to know some details
- In some cases, PR professionals can kill a story by appealing to the reporter or his editor
- If the reporter is way off and there is evidence to disprove the allegations or accusations, he may drop the story
- On using a surrogate spokesperson...seek one who has a unique status and has little connection to your principal or organization, and also someone who will offer a balanced perspective
- "No comment" = admitting guilt
- Anything that conveys activity as opposed to ignoring the problem is better than "no comment"

4.9 Arguing with the Media
- These relationships are rarely equal
- Reporters, editors, news directors, and anchors always get the last word because they are controlling the medium
- Sometimes they'll play devil's advocate just to get an emotional reaction out of you
- Refute all negative points with documentation
- Cannot argue with media after the story is run -- if you plan on writing a letter to the editor, impugn the facts of the story and not the messenger -- Attacking the credibility of a news org usually appears undignified and whiny
- A second-day story is risky because it inevitably will include the negative info from the first day's story and there's no guarantee you'll get a better play on the second day

4.10 Common Reporter Problem
- It's very hard to change a reporter's mind about a story once he has it made up
- Reporters' experiences, values, and opinions are often reflected in a story
- Freedom to speak is also the freedom to not speak  -- if the reporter refuses to give you information on what he is writing about or from what angle, he has no right to expect your full cooperation
- The reporter will likely run the story with or without your comment
- Don't be afraid to let some stories slip by -- never let a news org's deadline make a decision for you that you wouldn't otherwise, given the time

Television reporting
1) Television reporters often can't or won't do certain stories -- public policy stories are discouraged in local TV because they are hard to translate into people's day-to-day lives unless they have great visuals
- If there aren't visuals to accompany the story (oftentimes cases deal with numbers and budgets that are hard to put into visuals) it's a weak TV candidate
2) TV has extraordinary time restrictions -- the avg local newscast has 11 - 14 minutes
3) TV's simplicity in writing can overlook important details and context
4) Since it's conveyed in such a short time, it often cannot capture the "big" story around it -- but if it is aired, make sure the info, values, and emotions of the story are conveyed

4.12 "Off the Record" 
- It means that the info will be known only to the reporter (maybe her editor) and cannot be used for the story
- This rule is sometimes broken -- using this tactic should be based on how well you know and trust the reporter
- You must negotiate in advance what "off the record" means to this particular reporter
- When talking "on the record" -- a seasoned PS professional engages a part of the brain that censors everything
- When talking "off the record" -- that part of the brain relaxes a little and it becomes more conversational
- When it is used: when giving information that could damage the credibility of an accuser, or to embellish the reputation of the principal or organization
--> An "on the record" quote could make the PR professional look self-serving, but an "off the record" comment will influence the reporter and increase the likelihood of a more favorable story, can be used to enhance credibility by providing background info
- Best way to limit reporter's quotes to today's news is to give all background info "off the record"
- "On Background" = the official will be quoted or paraphrased but his name will not be used -- instead be known as some generic term like the head of something
- This status is used with abandon to hurl insults and accusations against enemies with the comforting knowledge that the media will convey the attack and that it is unlikely harmful
- "Deep background" = the reporter will use the information and could convey that info to another person, including someone else involved in the story
- Must discuss all the details of the above cases with the reporter before any interviewing begins / info is conveyed

4.14 Embargo
- Used by PR professionals to provide information to the media and to restrict its public release until a specified date and time
- often, PR specialists place an embargo on info in order to have it hit the public at a particularly advantageous time -- should be used sparingly

4.15 Dealing with Trade or Specialty Press
- Specialty reporters often have more time and space to delve into a topic, providing PR professionals opportunities to tell more of their stories
- PR specialist must provide specific, detailed information for a highly versed audience
- Less likely to write negative stories --> their interest is to tell a story in detail to a targeted audience, not to criticize or embarrass a public figure
- A media strategy that incorporates the use of smaller, niche publications can lead to broader coverage

Fitch Ch. 5 - Overview of the Media

-Each form of media - print, radio, TV, and the Internet - has unique characteristics and must be dealt with differently
- Knowing the differences helps public relations professionals correctly develop strategies, pitch stories, and handle potential negative news

Print Media
- It's a valued media with its history
- recognizing the formative role that newspapers play in setting the agenda is a basic first step in considering PR strategies
- Print is also the target for the stories that are difficult to tell on TV, such as any stories dealing with numbers, policy or "think pieces," studies that don't have logical or easy accompanying visuals, or long-term trends that don't have obvious symbols to convey the agenda facts
- What appears on the front page is sometimes driven by business, not journalistic motives
- Newspaper devote more personnel to the gathering, reporting, and writing of the news than any other media
Key players:
- Publisher: sometimes the owners of the paper
- Editor: top decision-maker who often guides key stories or front page
- City Editor: top decision-maker for local section of paper
- National or "A" section Editor: Top decision-maker for national or "A" section paper
- Section Editor: Top or influential decision-maker for various sections such as sports, lifestyle or style, local/metro, and business
- Assistant Editor/Assignment Editor: Assistants to section editors who make editing, news, and assignment decisions; they are often the only decision-makers at a newspaper after normal business hours
- Reporter: Primary author of the story
- Newspapers allow individual department heads to select the content for their sections
- Important to establish a relationship with the editor of the local section as well as it is to establish one with the reporter who covers you
- Deadlines: daily news have their entire world set up in a 24-hour cycle
- Good idea to reach the reporter earlier, when he is still building the story
- If you wait until the last minute to do an interview, you'll lose the opportunity to shape the story and will merely see the quote plugged into available spaces
- Public figures who talk to reporters early in the day has the potential to influence the framework for the story
- Major Wire Services: AP and Reuters -- seek to file stories in accordance with print and broadcast deadlines
- Employ a follow-up strategy after a story is on the wires, contacting key media outlets that might want to run it
- Wire service stories are easiest to correct

Television
- Discussed in ch 4
- Broadcasters have less time to find, research, and tell the story -- it is your job to provide them with everything they would want
- Visuals dominate the story on TV -- even if the message is negative, if the pictures are positive then the audience will convey the story with positive emotions
Key Players:
- News Director: Leader of the news department -- often this person makes final budgetary and personnel decisions. In larger stations this person usually avoids the day-to-day management of the newsroom.
- Executive Producer: Overseer of news content (could be merged with News Director)
- Assignment Editor: Air traffic controller of TV news. Manages and directs all the assets in the newsroom, assigning reporters, camera crews, and satellite trucks. Primary target audience for pitches.
- Producer:  Responsible for overseeing the gathering, writing, and production of an individual newscast. Determines story lengths, sometimes works on heavier pieces about investigation etc and write the stories.
- Assistant producer: ^^
- Reporter: primary author of the story
- Photographer or "photog"/cameraman: self explanatory
- Editor: Edits the story

- It's important that public PR professionals interact directly with assignment editors and producers to ensure that their story idea is brought into the meetings
- "Sweeps Weeks" -- (Feb, May, July, November) tracks ratings of all TV shows in the nation and the advertising rates are largely set based on these ratings, so there's a strong incentive to show good numbers during these times 

Distinctive Pitching and Response Techniques
- A PR professional has about 15 seconds to sell a story
- Best pitch usually has a connection to something that already has been covered
- They know that the audience has knowledge of the print story -- find a new angle to capture the viewers' attention
- The key to getting covered is:
1) having a message that fits into their preconceived hole in the story
2) being available to do the interview on the timetable they lay out
3) having or suggesting good pictures to accompany the story
- Deadlines: main news is 6pm and 11pm - get your news in before 3pm
- Location: pick a spot that reflects your story and that is appropriate -- outside interviews in decent light are usually better than inside

Radio
- The most effective time to reach audience -- 7am ~ 9am morning commute and 4pm - 7pm evening commute
- Morning radio audience is 3x larger than any time of the day
- Rarely ever a primary target of media -- but it complements a strategy to extend out print and tv stories
- Radio reporters often make decisions faster than TV reporters because they must produce ten stories with only 25 minutes of each other
- Radio reporters usually aren't doing a ton of original reporting -- they're following the story from the morning paper and trying to add a sound bite to get it on the air asap
- Try to pitch a story before 6am

Internet: Websites, Blogs, and Social Media
- blogs are morphing into regular websites with credible information, or a news platform like other mediums
- bloggers also seek solid content, fast turnaround, and access to individuals who can provide both
- some blogs are social commentaries, taking issues covered in news stories and adding the blogger's personal commentary on them
- Communication professions can't really "pitch" this community, but can feed them leads with a stream of relevant data and commentary
- What differentiates this medium is the frequency and the ability for readers to comment as well
- Understand that they often know their issues very well and maybe even better than you and your principal
- Instead of sending them a press release, send them a government report that your principal requested or give them an advance copy of an amendment your principal is introducing
- Treat them as experts and they will treat your principal as a leader to the issue
Successful bloggers usually operate under the basic rules of debate:
1) the authority of your source
2) the power of your ideas
3) the strength of your argument
Most have two requirements
1) Access to the principal decision makers and operators closest to the action
2) making your information linkable

- Social media is more of a community relations effort
- You have control of your efforts on different platforms but only at the consent of the community
- Social media is NOT a place to pitch a story  -- but it's a place to tell them and discuss them

Media Coverage Report 10/21

4-H School Enrichment and After School Enrichment Programs 
Penn State Extension - 2014
- This school district has many after school enrichment programs for their K-12 youth in which they help students expand their horizons and give them opportunities to make decisions for the future. One of the programs is called Food, Culture and Reading and it is: "a nutrition education program targeted to youth in grades four to six. It uses literature to learn about food, nutrition, healthy living, and different cultures. Youth will be able to recognize a variety of healthful foods, taste new foods from other cultures and develop an understanding and appreciation of cultures that are different from their own." 
- This piece is relevant because this program shows how other school districts have been integrating the culture around food into curriculums - in this case, after school. This can be inspiring to our project which has low-income families as our target audience where many parents work later than their children's schools, so an enrichment program might be a good way to integrate our goal to these children. 

Diversity Through Food and Other Activities 
Barbara Shelby - Kid Activities
August 10, 2009
- This blog introduces meal ideas and plans in order to help introduce diversity and authentic ethnic foods to children of all ages. It is packed with cuisine and activity ideas from around the world.
- This blog is inspiring to our program because it gives us some ideas of cuisines that are chill-friendly and still worldly, as well as lesson plans ranging from elementary to high school children on different concepts of diversity, discrimination, cultures, etc. Since it is packed with great ideas already, it's a good place for us to pull from for any sample events or materials we can have ready for our program. 


Not Your Parents’ School Lunch: Districts Innovate With Food Trucks, Smartphone AppsTim Skillern - CBS Denver

September 5, 2014
- The Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010 has partnered up with schools in Denver to provide healthier lunch options in fun ways such as kid chef competitions, food trucks, and even a smartphone app to introduce new cuisines. 
- Wow what an incredible article pertaining to our program!! It's even quoted in the article that chefs hope that unique and fun dining options for school lunches will help introduce children to cuisines or food items that they have never tried before but end up loving. These programs, such as the food truck, are exactly what we want to do to bring awareness to elementary school children and also bring it to the parents' attention as well to provide children with new food knowledge and their cultures as well. 

Using Food to Teach About Chinese Culture 
Kandice Hauf - Education About Asia
Winter 2011
- The author, a Chinese history & culture teacher, talks about how she incorporates and uses foods as a means to teaching Chinese history, culture, geography, religion, etc because it is an easy way for students to connect with and understand another culture. 
- Though this article is narrow in the segment (only targeting learning about Chinese culture), it is vital in our understanding of how exactly we could connect our program centered around food with the geography students would be learning in class. Maybe these are things we would take into consideration if our program expands in the future, so we can align timing for releasing certain dishes with children's education on certain aspects of different cultures (such as food from different historical eras or difference in cuisine even just amongst regions in a certain country). 

It's Dinnertime: A Report on Low-Income Families’ Efforts to Plan, Shop for and Cook Healthy Meals
No Kid Hungry - ConAgra Foods Foundation 
- This visual-heavy report shows the statistics on what the eating habits of low-income families in the US are actually like, some statistics contradicting to the perceived norm. Much of the report focuses on the families' wants to eat healthier but the costs of food being out of their budget.
- The No Kid Hungry campaign is a great campaign to keep on our program's radar because it focuses on improving eating habits and bringing more nutritional food items to school-aged children and families that cannot afford them on their own. They also hold educational programs for families to teach them how to eat healthy on their budget: this is a great goal for our program too, because we want to educate families to eat diverse (and healthier) food options without having to spend more money. 

Week of 10/20 - 10/24

Media Relations Handbook 

Ch. 1 First Steps 

1.1 Introduction

- Sectors in PA have the rare position of supporting a mission, a cause or individual, and advocating those ideas using their communication skills

- PR specialists are a crucial link in the chain of communication between leaders and citizens

1.2 Matching convictions with a job

- Goals: grow professionally, do an effective job for the organization or individual you rep, and feel that your work has some meaning

- Share some common beliefs with those whom you represent

- Find a functional office - good internal communication among staff is solidly managed

- When you attach yourself to an individual or organization, you're attaching your reputation as well

1.3 Getting to know the principal

- Leader: chief spokesperson for the organization - can be called: member of Congress, president of the association, executive director of the agency

- Most communication will flow through one person: the principal --> you create the voice of the organization through the principal

- Must develop trust and confidence, identify the strengths and weaknesses of the principal, develop a strategy to improve their skills

1.4 Assessing your Strategic Position and Historical Record

- Figure out where you are before you plan where you are headed

- Your predecessor can outline your new boss' strengths and weaknesses, tell you which reporters are smart and which ones are dangerous, and outline the basic terrain of the internal office politics --> his work is one of the standards you will be judged by

- Do internal polling: one of the few quantifiable measurements or our craft

- It can also help clarify public opinion on primary issues, suggest strategy and language that resonates with audiences, and is invaluable in creating a communication plan

1.5 Strategic Goals

- Translate the goals into communication themes

- Communication professionals have a responsibility to point out opportunities and even to suggest strategic initiatives

- Press secretaries are responsible for translating policy into message, which means sometimes we must tweak the message to be salable to the media and public

1.6 Assessing the issue train

- SWOT analysis

- Organizations usually try to build their goals around environmental opportunities

- Communication threats often come in the form of political opponents, organizations that oppose your mission, or even reporters bent on drumming up news

- By anticipating potential threats and preparing for them, your org and boss will be in a much better position to handle adverse events

- Get to know your friends and allies --> learn how to connect with allies and use their strengths

1.7 Conducting a Resource Assessment

- Prospective employees should inquire what resources they will have in order to accomplish their job

- An operation is a budget --> negotiate budget before you accept a position; it's tougher to ask for things afterwards

- Raise issues related to resources in the interview process

- Communication professionals should be more functional than current

1.9 List Building

- Press list: pure definition of your target audience --> should be up to date, complete, comprehensive, and in an electronic format that can be used to create letters, send out emails and faxes, and rapidly make phone calls

1.12 Getting to Know your reporters

- Crucial people = the reporters who cover your office --> keepers of your reputation and building a good relationship with them will be one of the key criteria you'll be judged by 

- Must understand which reporters have the greatest reach and which have the greatest impact on your target audience

- To get to know reporters: do a "media tour" by setting up appointments and visiting them

1.13 Internal Politics

- Questions to consider:

1) who should have input

2) who thinks they should have input

1.14 Creating a Communication Plan

- Drafting a communication plan: first consider the message you want to convey, the strategic goals of the principal or organization, the history of communication on the issue, and the tools you have to communicate with 

Ch. 2 Tools of the Craft

2.4 Press Release

- Primary goal: to convince reporters to do a story

- Should tell a reporter on one or two sentences whether the story is worth pursuing --> headline and lead are very important

- Headline can be up to ten words

- Use summary lead, one or two sentences and no more than three or four lines in length --> summarizes the overall thrust of the story and should be rigorously edited

- Use inverted pyramid as a guide --> most important info first and then descending in order underneath

- Include a quote in the second paragraph --> should convey emotion or opinion, not fact

- Fit on one page

- Must end with "# # #" or "-30-" centered on page

2.7 Press Advisory

- Goal: to notify the media of an event or occurrence that you wish them to cover

- Key information: event, time and place, content of subject of event

- The challenge: to provide enough information to entice coverage, but not so much so that you end up scooping yourself

2.9 Backgrounders

- Provides detailed background information on a particular topic

- Such as: statistical information, chronologies of events, or contact information and sources --> all help reporters fill out stories

- Avoid using quotes

- The most successful backgrounders appear as complete objective reference tools that reporters sometimes will use without attribution

2.10 Op-eds

- One of the most effective and persuasive tools in a press secretary's toolbox

- It can be a policy pronouncement by a public official and make news all by itself --> policy argument without tangible people connected to them are distant and often weak 

- It can be s defensive piece to explain a policy position

- It can be a persuasive piece meant to move public opinion and change public policy

- They should strive to be timely and to add value to the debate or controversy

- There's comfort in numbers

- Tell someone's story and wrap the policy argument inside it 

- These are the complete argument in the court of public opinion, not just a snippet or portion 

2.11 Letters to the Editor

- Keep the letter short --> no more than two or three paragraphs / 100 words

- Focus on the facts, not the messenger

- Make the letter self-contained --> explain and refer to a previous article that relates to the letter

- Send letters quickly --> the same day if possible

- Use letters to correct inaccuracies 

2.12 Speeches

- Learn how to craft a speech in the "speaker's voice" 

- First, determine audience needs and desires

- Have goals for the speech --> most basic is to impress an audience and gain their support. Then to motivate them to action.

- Enhance key points and in a voice that the speaker wants to convey

2.13 Press Conference/Events 

- Create engaging events based on visuals available, and script the participants as much as possible

- Have your own crew cover the conference as well

- Provide all the key details of what reporters can expect to cover if they attend 

**See page 35 for Press Conference Checklist

2.15 Photography and Video 

- Avoid the smiling at the camera hand shaking shot

- A good video can bypass the media filter and reach your audience directly 

2.16 Direct Mail 

- Best ones are targeted to a specific audience, with content tailored to their interests

- Clear topics, sharp opening lines, bullet points and a PS

- Include call to action 

2.18 Newsletters

- Targeted to specific audience --> often sent to audience who already somehow have agreed to receive the newsletters

- Identify reader's interests, newsworthy items that occurred since the last newsletter, and present it in an interesting way

- Include call to action 

2.19 Radio Feed

- Created with broadcast-quality equipment

- Create a 90 - 120 second feed to deliver to stations

2.20 TV Feed

- Create raw footage of the boss commenting on some aspect of the public policy and provide it to TV stations

- Interviews, video to accompany the story, and cutaways

- Simply creating raw material that someone else can use to cover the story 

2.21 Video News Release

- Similar to TV feed

- Do not oversell the story 

- Must appear objective 

- Often use equipment that smaller news stations do not have access to

2.22 Public Service Announcement 

- These 30 - 60 second please for some cause are excellent ways for communication professionals to completely control their broadcast message and advance an altruistic goal of the principal of organization 

- Helpful to have additional footage and to always look professional 

2.24 Teleconferences and "Telephone Town Halls" 

- Typically requires a moderator, 3 - 4 screeners, and someone to serve as the liaison

The Practice of Government PR

Ch. 3 Media Relations

PR Strategies, Tactics, and Objectives

- (PA director) Communicate superbly your agency's policies, positions, and regulations to the diverse audiences that you must confront with your information

- Good agency comm strategies and tactics require an agreed-upon approach with your top administrators of how you are going to act in both planned written and interview media opportunities and in unplanned sudden critical situations

Control of Interactions with the Media 

- Caveat: If your agency in a particular circumstance is embroiled in a major crisis, controversy, or scandal, the media at your agency level will pull out all investigative resources to report on it and try to outflank the competition

Guidance on Responding to Media

- When they ask you a specific question on a specific issue, they already have researched information about their query and may be looking for verification and to test your personal and agency credibility

- Rule of Thumb: If the criticism is valid, factual, and may have "legs," respond right away to get your agency position in the middle of the report, to contradict the criticism, and to muddle the overall effect of the story so that the reading or viewing public will not be able, for the most of these complex and complicated pieces, to conclude clearly and unequivocally that the agency media criticism is in fact valid --> disprove that your agency is "wrong" 

- If a hurtful claim is true, best decision may be to not respond at all and to let it play out in the media and let is be superseded inevitably and quickly by a host of other major government and private sector news stories and controversies, foreign and domestic

- Off the record: Cannot be named or discusses, written, or broadcasted in the media

- Background: Source (agency) can be named but not the specific devision

- Deep background: Source (agency) cannot be named but the information can be broadcasted

- You are under no obligation to the media to volunteer additional agency information that is not specifically requested --> your loyalty is to your agency, not the media!

Crises, Crisis Management, and Damage Control

- Offices should have written crisis plans for distribution to all top officials that anticipate possible emergency situations

- Whatever the media devices used, two areas will define your role and potential success in limiting the crisis - credibility in responding to media and public criticism and the drawing up of as many positive p pints as you can muster to neutralize and mitigate the crisis when the criticism is valid

Leaks and Leaking 

- Battle: information that is top secret and/or classified 

- Leak types: 

1) Ego Leak - to give importance and self-importance to the individual via name recognition and publicity

2) Goodwill Leak - to gain favorable coverage and personal mention from the selected media on a future occasion

3) Policy Leak - to associate an individual with the accepted final decision on an important policy made public; or alternatively, by a disgruntled official who disagrees with an agency final decision and feels this is the only way to make public the "minority" report that he/she supports

4) Animus Leak - to get revenge on a coworker and make him/her look bad

5) Trial Balloon Leak - to see if an issue or position will fly or fall flat in public opinion

6) Whistle Blower Leak - to expose agency corruption, deceit, or "misguided" behavior; sometimes motivated by getting a substantial reward for saving the government lots of money in any settlement

7) No-Purpose Leak - for "honesty" or personal satisfaction without regard for any publicity or money

Week of 10/13 - 10/ 17

Fitch Ch 3: Developing a Message and Communication Plan
3.1 Introduction
- All public figures and orgs must have a message
- "Marrying policy ideas with public relations tactics" 

3.2 The Message
- A succinct articulation of a vision designed to convey a broad theme or to motivate people to a specific action
- must be clear, concise, value-based image or statement that connects with a targeted audience in a meaningful way -- could be a slogan 
- it's an umbrella of images, words, and actions that combine to define a person, agency, or organization in the minds of people
- an org or person without a coherent message appears weak, equivocal, and is unlikely to achieve their strategic goals
- Two categories: strategic messages and campaign messages

1. Strategic Message: a broad theme, an overarching set of principles or ideas that guides and shapes all communication. Composed of general ideas --> similar to branding 
• In PA - it is tied to the overall, long-term mission of the organization or principal
2.  Campaign message: a subset of a strategic message --> composed of specific ideas, has a time limit or particular practical result, such as the passage or legislation, has a measurable outcome

3.4 Strategic Message Development  
- Messages can be boiled down to slogans
- Plot your position in the target audience's mind 
- All about positioning your principal for the audience's value systems, desires, interests, and priorities
- Can use Acronyms - ex MADD
- Strategic goals: 

• What is our core mission?
• What are the values that underpin our organization's mission?
• Who are our stakeholders and what are their needs and interests?
• In previous outreach efforts, what has garnered the most attention from our stakeholders and the media?

- After gaining a good understanding of the principal's and organization's goals, certain clear themes should be apparent

3.5 Campaign Message Development 
- It's a subset of the strategic message

1. Agree on Goals - something clear and message goals everyone agrees on
2. Identify Target Audience(s) - What are their needs, interests, aspirations? Who is the message intended for? What are the values and how do these values relate to our organization or principal? Narrowing the goals and audiences will greatly enhance the likelihood that a campaign message will be successful.
3. Develop and Clarify Language - Language must be an inclusive process within the org and draw on all key personnel. The choice of words have policy implications; must have full buy-in.
4. Get Creative - Your message must have a clear narrative with visuals. Help audiences feel their way to a decision.

3.6 Message Box
- Useful in any communication setting where you will be competing against another group's or person's ideas and messages
- Helps prepare you for any potential attack 
1. What we say about us
2. What opponents say about themselves
3. What we say about our opponents
4. What opponents say about us

3.7 The Limits of Message
- IT CANNOT MASK A BAD IDEA
- PR campaign in a PA environment must be connected in a meaningful way to the values of the audience
- Much more persuasive to connect with an audience member on an emotional level, as opposed to a practical one, and emotions are evoked by touching our values

3.8 Developing a Communication Plan
- development of a campaign message and a communication plan should overlap
- communication plans address these questions: what will be done, when it will be done, how it will be done, and who will do it
- ask yourself basic questions designed to evoke ideas that will capture the attention of the media and public: 

• How does what we do affect people's lives?
• What is the average person interested in?
• What would make the front page of the paper or the top TV story?

- Create a plan and message that will break through the clutter and make the reporter/editor want to cover your story
- Steps:

1. Identify and Clarify Objectives - objectives are different from goals, your goal may be to defeat proposed changes, and message may convey why, objectives would be how to achieve your goal and convey the message.
2. Establish Milestones and Timelines - Creating milestones will help achieve goals
3. Identify and Organize Allies - working with coalitions is one of the best ways to increase your resources, enhance your voice, and expand your political power; best allies are natural and consistent ones who have a long-standing relationship with your org
4. Develop an Action Plan - must include: tasks to be performed, person or organization assigned on the task, and timeline or deadline for the assignment. Can also include details on resources or execution. Keep in mind the relation of your action plan with everything else happening in your environment and plan around.
5. Conduct Contingency Planning - add-on's or back-up plans is good insurance. Have multiple methods to get there. Contingency planning helps provide some assurance in a PR world where there are very few sure things

3.10 How to Connect Your Message with SEDATE
- Statistics
- Example
- Demonstration
- Analogy
- Testimonials 
- Experience

3.11 Taking Advantage of Opportunities 
- A lot of PR work is more unpredictable and reactive 
- the best PR professionals not only create great plans, they adapt them to fit changing circumstances
- best way to take advantage of opportunities is to prepare for them in advance 
- must use good judgement in recognizing the parameters of your message and allow some opportunities to pass by 
- recognizing which opportunities are worth pursuing is the mark of a good public relations specialist 
- is this opportunity close to our mission? Does it warrant changing our plans to pursue it? What are the costs to the organization of pursuing the opportunity?

3.12 Connecting the Message to the Meaningful
- Message must be connected to a tangible goal that excites the audience and is framed in such a way that gives that goal meaning 
- The message pulls together the routine activities of an org and gives them broader meaning through an association with the audience's values and beliefs

The Practice of Government Public Relations

Ch 5: Public Information Campaigns

- Used to create social change and to benefit society by disseminating information intended to enhance the well-being of the audience
1. To provide individuals with resources to reach valuable information
2. For individuals to be more educated and engaged in public decision making
3. Cause a heightened demand for information and expectation for government information and transparency
4. Encourage public support and participation for effective change
** Used to inform, persuade, or motivate behavior change amongst the audience members
- It establishes a dialogue between the sender and receiver of the information
- Can range from personal to societal issues

Building the Campaign Foundation

Stage #1: Planning - the strategic development and foundation of campaign efforts
- Conducting formative research
- Setting objectives
- Identifying target audience
- Developing campaign strategies and tactics
- Establishing timeline & budget

Stage #2: Implementation - message development and presentation
- Using specific communication sources and media
- Message appeals
- Frequency and timing of message dissemination
- Consideration for increased campaign credibility

Stage #3: Evaluation - measuring the success of the campaign
- Collecting data specific to the achievement of campaign goals and objectives

Developing a Campaign Plan - RACE

Research - assess the situation through primary and secondary research methods (Situation Analysis)

- Primary research: focus groups, web surveys, etc

- Secondary research: collect data from sources already available

- Research provides credibility, accountability, insight, and a strong foundation for planning the campaign

**Identify theoretical foundation to guide the campaign

The input process of campaign development involves:

1. the source of the message

2. the communication of the message

3. the channel that delivers the message

4. the receiver of the message

Five stages of change (outlined on pg 82): 

1. pre-contemplation

2. contemplation 

3. preparation

4. action

5. maintenance

Action - formulate a practical strategic plan through six stages

1. Setting of campaign goals and objectives

- Goals - intangible, abstract, and often cannot be measured

- Objectives - narrow, precise, tangible, and can be measured through evaluation efforts 

*ex) Goal for public info campaign is to educate individuals about the consequences of a negative behavior, and objective is to reduce the number of individuals participating in the negative behavior through education efforts within a designed time frame

2. Creation of the audience profile

- Understand the cognitive and behavioral attributes of the target audience

- Research audience's demographics and psychographics - age, gender, education level, socioeconomic status, attitudes, opinions, experiences

- The audience's value system, knowledge about the issue, major barriers in adopting desired behaviors, preferred media channels/use, sources audience trusts and finds credible, behavioral determinants

3. Formation of campaign strategy

- Establishes the campaign's direction and thematic application 

- Strategies answer how the campaign objectives are to be achieved through big picture, themes, feelings, and ideas that the campaign should embody

*ex action strategies: audience participation, sponsorship, or organizational performance

*ex communication strategies: media endorsement, paid placement (ad), transparent communication

*ex message strategies: emotional appeals, slogans, power words

*ex distribution strategies: repetition, use of multiple channels, timing in association w calendar year

4. Development of campaign tactics

*ex: websites, billboards, town hall meetings, media kits, online contest, brochures, social media, television/radio PSA, events

- These are specific mediums that will distribute the campaign strategy, exact events that will encourage audience participation, and detailed documents that will pitch the story to media outlets 

- Important that it relates to the big picture of the campaign 

5. Construction of the campaign timeline

- Establish scheduling patterns and message frequency

*ex: seasonal approach, pulsing, etc

- Roadblocking: the placement of campaign messages in al major television networks, radio stations, or print publications in the same period of time so there is an opportunity for message exposure regardless of media choice

- Gantt Chart: common bar chat format to illustrate the important dates and deadlines through project completion (see pg 89 for chart)

6. Compilation of the campaign budget

- Five categories to a campaign budget:

1. personal costs

2. materials costs

3. media costs

4. equipment and facility costs

5. administrative costs

**Could include all or just a few of the listed costs above

- Campaign budget must accurately reflect the resources needed to implement the campaign

Communication - execution and placement of messages based on existing communication theories

- Main goal is to develop a message that resonates with the audience

A. Message Goal of the campaign

1. Awareness - to make the audience aware of the issue/information/topic so they seek out additional information

2. Instruction - to educate the audience so they have knowledge about what to do and how to do it

3. Persuasion - to change the attitudes or behavior of the audience by convincing them of the validity of the argument 

B. Credibility

- Must be credible by the target audience

- Three primary dimensions: 

1. the message needs to be competent to show expertise

2. the message needs to be perceived as trustworthy

3. the message needs to demonstrate goodwill rather than self interest

- use your research to determine what types of campaigns will be credible to your audience

C. Attractiveness and Relevance

- What the audience sees as well as the text they read

- Should be interesting, appealing, or pleasant

- Audience should see how the message can be applied to their own situation and needs, making it personally involving

- Central or systematic processing: People who pay attention to the words of the message/ tend to do "issue-relevant thinking" where they compare and relate the new information to similar information they already know --> results in longer lasting behavior change

- Peripheral or heuristic processing: People who pay more attention to the visual images, likely to be using simple decision rules to make choices related to the message

D. Emotional Appeals

*ex) fear appeal

- What emotional appeal is appropriate for the audience and the campaign message?

- Four steps to produce effective fear appeal message

1. the message must contain a clear threat -- the consequences of not following the message recommendations must be obvious and fearful 

2. audience members must perceive themselves as vulnerable to this threat -- if they don't think it could happen to them, they won't be convinced

3. the message must show the audience that there is an action they can take to prevent the negative consequences from happening

4. the audience members must perceive that they are capable of performing the desired behavior

- Let the message resonate with the audience 

E. One-sided of Two-sided messages

- One-sided only presents the case favoring the desired behavior, without mentioning the opposing side or any of the drawbacks associated with the desired behavior 

- Two-sided strategically raises the opposing side's arguments then refutes these arguments to show why the desired behavior is preferred --> more persuasive and credible

- Only exception is when research shows that the audience is already in favor towards the recommended behavior 

Evaluation - Measuring Campaign Effectiveness

Some questions to consider:

- Was the campaign adequately planned?

- Were the communication messages received and understood?

- Did efforts remain within the initial budgetary constraints?

- How can future campaign efforts be improved?

Three main findings from this phase:

1. To what degree did the campaign reach its objectives?

2. How or why did the campaign work?

3. What lessons can be learned for future public information campaigns?

- Process Research: collect data on when, where, and for how long the campaign is broadcast

- Outcome Research: collecting data to measure program's impact

**It is IMPORTANT to include both people who have been exposed to the campaign and those who have not been exposed to the campaign in the evaluation research 

Critical variables that should be assessed: 

1. Campaign exposure -- has the audience seen, can recall, and/or can recognize the campaign materials?

2. Interpersonal Communication -- what has the word-of-mouth impact been like? Is there a lot of it going on?

3. Campaign impact -- assess the variables such as audience's new knowledge, attitude, and behavior 

Ch 8: Strategic Communication Planning

Three major government PR purposes:
1. The mandatory - media relations, public reporting, and citizen responsiveness
2. The pragmatic - customer and client responsiveness and outreach activities
3. The political - increasing public support

Symmetrical communication - a dialogue is fostered between the unit and its constituents
Issues management - involves active environmental scanning, media monitoring, legislative monitoring, and active listening across the constituent groups to help seize opportunities and prevent crises before they happen
Customer needs and wants - recognition of the total costs of offering particular products or services to customers, citizens, society
Convenience - options for accessing or purchasing these products or services
Dominant coalition - must it have the buy-in of top-level administrations within a government agency

SWOT - strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats
PEST - political, economic, societal, and technological environments

Strategic Communication plan outline -- see pg 152 - 155