Verrico National Press Club Presentation

John Verrico

President-Elect

National Association of Government Communicators

Reporters and PAOs have the same goal -- Get information to the public.

The government needs media to help us communicate to the public

·         Reach general public or specific sectors

·         Be trusted translator

·         Your readers/audience trusts you to provide unbiased report

Trusted relationships are important.

·         Trusted relationships go both ways

o   Media needs to trust PAOs are providing complete, accurate info

o   PAOs need to trust media will use info correctly, in good faith, in context,

Decades ago there were more beat reporters

·         Not just government beat, but specific topical experts who understood history & technical issues

Now, more general assignment reporters

·         Don’t have history, except what can be quickly researched

·         Make assumptions

·         Don’t have time to learn what things really mean or in-depth technical details

·         Education is needed to fill these gaps

Role of PAO – facilitate flow of information

·         Tell you what you don’t know

·         Help you find information you need

·         Explain complex information and translate jargon

·         Find subject matter expert (SME) with accurate/complete information

Identifying SMEs

·         Many SMEs are micro-focused

·         They may be experts in their field, but may not necessarily know larger policy or implementation strategy

·         PAOs usually know better who the SMEs are on a topic that can best explain it

·         SMEs frequently are afraid of media – heard stories of misquotes or info taken out of context,

·         SMEs usually want PAO support as a safety net

PAOs:

·         Spend more time internally advocating for media, convincing SMEs it is okay to talk

·         Help keep SME focused

·         Elaborate or provide context

·         Follow up on interviews to provide additional info as needed

·         Ensure media has correct info

·         Trained to the maxim: Maximum Disclosure/Minimum Delay

o   Within the boundaries of SAPP (security, accuracy, policy, and propriety)

Advice to press – trust is mutual!

·         Don’t hide your agenda – if we know what your story is really about, we can better help you

·         Don’t assume we are hiding something & don’t treat us like we are the bad guys

Just as journalists have a code of ethics, so do government PAOs.

(from the NAGC Code of Ethics) We believe:

·         truth is inviolable and sacred

·         providing public information is an essential civil service; and,

·         the public-at-large and each citizen therein has a right to equal, full, understandable, and timely facts about their government.

We take these to heart and strive to uphold their spirit.